


I’m on fire (like a thousand suns)

by reddieforlove



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Fairy Tale Elements, I honestly have no idea what is going on in this fic, I take liberties with the layout of derry maine, Language, Let's go with that, M/M, Richie is a warning tag in himself, a little bit of hades persephone elements, and a whole lotta weird, around 17-18, for the pop culture references alone, honestly I do not know what the hell I'm doing there is no plan here, oh yeah and this is a modern au, rapid explosion, there's a little bit of red riding hood, what is the opposite of slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-02-13 19:34:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12991035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reddieforlove/pseuds/reddieforlove
Summary: Eddie just wants to go to Bill's house but along the way, he's chased by Henry Bowers and his goons into a part of the town where he's never been. Along comes Richie Tozier, who promises him a way out.TITLE CHANGE - previously titled “red”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said in the tags, I have no idea where this fic came from. I mean I do a little bit, I had a dream that sort of led me to this. There are fairy tale elements in it but they're really vague. You'll probably figure them out because subtlety is not my strong suit.
> 
> I may continue this, I may not. It pretty much depends on the reaction. If it crashes and burns, I probably won't finish it. I tried to keep characterizations pretty close but I may not have done a good job. I just really don't know.
> 
> Title: Hunger by Ross Copperman

“Eddie Bear, where are you going?”

Eddie froze with his hand on the front door, closing his eyes for just a moment. He thought that his mother might have been asleep or so focused on her soaps that she wouldn’t see him pass. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case and there was no choice but to convince her to let him go. Stepping back, he turned slowly to meet her gaze.

“Bill invited us over to watch some movies, Mom,” he said.

It was the truth. Eddie didn’t know why he was so nervous to tell her. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He knew exactly why. When his mother got it in her head that something was dangerous, even something as mild as going to his oldest friend’s house, it was nearly impossible to convince her that he’d be just fine on the walk he knew so well. If anything, her desperation to keep him close only intensified when he moved from middle school to high school. Even though he was now seventeen, Sonia Kaspbrak treated him much like a child. Eddie hated it but there was very little that he could do.

“Okay,” she said, looking him over once, then twice. “Take your jacket. There’s a chill outside and you know how easy you get sick.”

Eddie nodded, glancing away just long enough to open the coat closet and pull his jacket out. Once he had it zipped up over his t-shirt, his mother looked somewhat satisfied.

“Don’t be home too late. I expect you back by eleven,” she said.

“Yes Mommy,” Eddie said, nodding at her once.

He turned away before she could say anything else, hurrying out the front door before making his way down towards the sidewalk. As Eddie set out towards Bill’s house, he begrudgingly admitted to himself that his mother was right. There was a chill in the air. After a few minutes of walking, his ears started to ache a little. Tugging his hands out of his pockets, Eddie pulled the hood of his bright red jacket over his head and continued on, moving a little bit quicker. It wasn’t until he reached a larger street that he saw the familiar car rumbling towards him.

Panic rose quickly in his chest and Eddie staggered back but it was too late. Henry Bowers shoved his head out of the open window and pointed directly at him. Rather than turn back and run for his house, knowing that his mother would put him on lockdown if he showed up breathless and terrified,  Eddie whirled around and began running in the exact opposite direction of Bowers and his equally cruel friends, which also happened to be in the opposite direction of Bill’s house.

Eddie wasn’t a strong runner. His lungs were weak and a sharp pain formed in his side after only a short distance. But he forced himself to keep going as he heard the car following him. His senses seemed to dull as he ran and all he could see was the endless road ahead of him. All he could hear was the pounding of his sneakers on the sidewalk and the blood rushing in his ears as well as the rev of the engine behind him. His thoughts were focused on one thing. Getting away. He knew that they could easy catch up with him but Eddie had the feeling that they were making it into a game of cat and mouse.

Bowers taunted him with horrible names and insults as they chased him and Eddie knew that it would only be a matter of time before they grew bored with the game. It didn’t take long for the streets to become less and less familiar. Eddie knew that he was crossing into a part of town where he’d never actually been, a part that his mother always warned him to stay away from. It wasn’t hard to obey that particular command. Even if the buildings weren’t more run down, the ominous feeling would probably still remain.

Even as he crossed the line from one part of town to the other, unfamiliar part, Eddie’s fear nearly tripled and he knew that there were probably tears on his cheeks judging by the sting in his eyes. Or it might have been the cold wind whipping at his face. He should have never left home. He should have agreed to walk over to Bill’s with Stan. He should have done a lot of things. But it was too late for any of that, and especially too late to remember that he left his phone on his bed. The sky wasn’t dark enough that he could slip into the shadows but a few cars were on this particular road that blocked him from sight long enough for him to duck into an unfamiliar alley.

Ignoring the heaving in his stomach at the idea of it, Eddie crouched behind a dumpster and made himself as small as possible, hoping that Bowers and the others would give up. He couldn’t run anymore. His breaths were coming out in pathetic wheezes and his hands were shaking too much to reach into his pocket to pull out his inhaler. It was the one thing he still used after realizing that the medicine his mother gave him was all bullshit. Eddie knew on a basic level that even the inhaler did nothing for him but he couldn’t bring himself to stop using it either.

After a long few minutes of silence other than passing cars that sounded nothing like the one that had chased him, Eddie realized that his jacket’s hood was still pulled up over his head. He wasn’t heated from running, the cool air around him didn’t allow for that, but there was still sweat trickling from his hairline and clinging to his upper lip. Eddie lifted his hand to push the hood back but froze when he heard what had to be footsteps. He pressed himself closer to the wall and glanced around wildly. There was nothing around to defend himself with.

He gritted his teeth and curled his hands into fists, not willing to be beat into submission without putting up at least a little bit of a fight. Then the last person that he expected walked past the dumpster and right into Eddie’s eyeline. With a smirk playing on his lips, Richie Tozier squatted right in front of him. His eyes were dark and enthralling and his hair was a mass of curls that seemed as untamable as the boy they belonged to. The glasses he wore were thick-framed and clearly well used and it was impossible not to notice the smattering of freckles on his nose and cheeks. Eddie could smell the faintest hint of cigarette smoke, cologne, and leather from his jacket.

“Hey Red,” Richie said in the same raspy tone that Eddie often heard in the hallways and classrooms of Derry High. “You lost?”

Eddie still couldn’t quite catch his breath so he pressed his lips together and shook his head, wanting the other boy to just go away.

“Really? Well I’ve never seen you in my neck of the woods, cutie, and as far as I can tell, you only ran up ‘ol Commerce Drive cause Bowers and his merry band of assholes were chasing you. Am I right so far?”

Eddie simply glared at him, fisting his hands in his lap.

“I’m not cute,” he finally choked out, his tone short and snappish in spite of his still racing heart.

Richie looked delighted at his words, or maybe at the fact that he’d spoken. It was hard to tell.

“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that, short stuff.”

Richie had never spoken to Eddie before and the same was true the other way around. They ran in very different circles. Eddie was best friends with Bill Denbrough, Ben Hanscom, and Stanley Uris, three boys who, much like himself, preferred to be among the better behaved kids at school. They always turned in their homework on time and never contributed to the constant vandalization of the bathrooms and outside walls. Richie’s closest friend was Beverly Marsh and it had been that way for as long as anyone could remember, and they were largely responsible for the destruction of school property.

They were often seen smoking by the bleachers or walking through the hallways with their heads ducked close together. They weren’t dating. No one knew for sure what exactly they were but it was pretty common knowledge that no one messed with one without feeling the wrath of the other. Eddie didn’t know exactly what that wrath entailed but he equally had no desire to find out. While Richie didn’t exactly scream danger the way that Henry Bowers did, pretty much everyone in Derry dismissed him and Beverly both as trouble. Eddie might have wondered if he was trying to call attention to his hiding place if he hadn’t seen Richie clash with the notorious bully on more than one occasion.

“Can you go away, please?” he asked anyway, not wanting Henry or the others to see Richie crouching there in case it revealed his position to them.

“So polite,” Richie said, looking content to remain exactly where he was.

“Fuck off,” Eddie replied.

It didn’t have the desired effect. The other boy’s face just lit up more.

“You’re a hell of a contradiction, you know that cutie?”

“Stop calling me that,” Eddie seethed.

Richie simply laughed, a low sound that filled the alley. Then he glanced back at the way they both came and Eddie caught a glimpse of a cigarette tucked behind his ear.

“They’re gone,” he said.

“Maybe you should follow their example,” Eddie told him, though he felt relieved as he prepared to stand.

Before he could move a muscle, Richie slowly straightened up. He was tall, his shadow falling over Eddie, who assumed that he was about to do as he suggested and leave. Instead he reached a hand out and waited. As he did so, dim light caught on his shirt and Eddie could barely make out the faded remnants of a snarling wolf printed on the fabric. Hesitantly, knowing that Richie couldn’t be any dirtier than the ground he was sitting on, Eddie took his callused hand and let him pull him up, stepping away as soon as he was on his own two feet.

“C’mon Red,” Richie said as Eddie brushed off his clothes. “I’ll get you where you’re going.”

Eddie frowned up at him, finally pushing the hood off of his head.

“I already told you I’m not lost,” he said, even though it was a straight up lie.

Richie didn’t stop walking, though he did snort in response.

“You’re a terrible liar.”

Eddie didn’t bother replying to that. He knew it was true. Bill and Stan always teased him for it, all in good fun of course. With Richie, it seemed like the other boy was charmed by it, which was impossible. This was all getting to be a little too much for Eddie to handle. The shaking in his hands had calmed enough that he was able to pull out his inhaler as he followed Richie out of the alley. After two puffs, he stowed it away and took a deep breath, glancing around to see if he could get his bearings.

“This place is a fucking maze,” Richie said and Eddie peered over at him only to see that he was leaning against a light pole with his arms crossed loosely over his chest. “You can try to get back to your neighborhood without my help but I’m willing to bet that you’ll get even more lost than you are now. And not everyone around here is as nice as me.”

He was right. Eddie hated it, but he was right. He couldn’t remember which turns he took while trying to evade Bowers so there was no way he could get back on his own. That didn’t mean he trusted Richie to do it but he had little choice in the matter.

“Fine,” he said.

“Fantastic,” Richie said, sounding delighted once more as he turned to walk down the street.

Eddie watched him go for a few steps, his eyebrows furrowing, before calling out to him.

“That’s not the way I came.”

Richie turned around and seamlessly began walking backwards.

“I know a shortcut,” he said with a shrug.

Eddie stared at him, every instinct in his body screaming at him not to follow him. There was something else going on. Richie was up to something, that much he knew. He just couldn’t figure out what. With a wide grin, Richie plucked the cigarette from behind his ear and placed it between his lips.

“What’s the matter, Eds?” he asked, making Eddie’s heart jolt because _Richie Tozier knew his name_. “You afraid of the big bad wolf?”

It was a ridiculous question. Clearly he’d seen Eddie studying his shirt earlier. But how did he know his name? Sure they’d been going to school together since they were seven but their paths never crossed. Even if they did happen to be in the same classroom, they didn’t so much as look at one another. Why did Richie pay attention long enough not only to know his name, but to give him a nickname? With a wink that screamed danger and _run the other way_ , Richie turned around and began walking.

Eddie stood frozen, glancing around before his eyes returned to his retreating figure. He only had two choices. Trust that Richie was telling the truth about a shortcut and follow him, or try to make his way on his own knowing that there was a good chance he’d get even more lost without someone around to help him. That wasn’t even taking into account what might happen if Bowers found him alone again, especially after dark. Now that he thought it through, there wasn’t really much of a choice at all.

He hated it, but he had to follow Richie if he wanted to make it out of here alive. Eddie hurried to catch up with him, having to match his larger strides with quick steps of his own. He put a few feet between them, watching with his nose wrinkled in disgust as Richie blew smoke into the air and flicked ashes onto the ground. As much as he despised cigarettes, though, there was something almost hypnotizing about watching Richie’s lips close around the cigarette. He didn’t realize that he was staring until those same lips lifted into a smirk.

“See something you like?”

Eddie snapped his head forward as Richie glanced over at him. He seemed to notice how quick he was having to walk to keep up with him because he slowed down just enough that Eddie could do the same.

“Just the opposite,” Eddie said, sending a nasty look to the cigarette dangling loose from his fingers. “That’s a disgusting habit.”

“Does it bother you?”

“Obviously,” he said, assuming that he was being mocked.

“No I mean… I saw you use an inhaler,” Richie said.

Eddie’s eyes lifted and he saw that there was a serious look on his face. He was really asking.

“Not if I don’t get too close,” he said with a shrug, looking away.

It was weird and confusing. He didn’t really know what to make of any of this. It was easier to just keep walking. But then Richie paused, tossing the cigarette onto the ground before stomping it out.

“That settles it,” he said, continuing on as if nothing happened.

“Why did you do that?” Eddie asked.

“If you want to get close to me, Red, I’m not gonna let anything stop you.”

He wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

“That is not what I meant,” Eddie said.

Yet he still felt strange about Richie putting out the cigarette, like there was something under the surface of this entire situation that he didn’t understand. He felt like there was another reason that Richie put it out, like he had done it just because Eddie admitted that it would irritate the asthma that he didn't even really have. But why would Richie care? It bothered Eddie. Not enough to stop him from walking with Richie but enough to make him wonder just where he was being taken. It was impossible to figure out where they were since they went down several winding streets and wound up in a neighborhood that he had never seen before.

Richie began whistling at one point and didn’t stop until he’d cycled through four songs that Eddie recognized and three that he didn’t. It was only when they turned down a street and he heard thumping music from a house about halfway down that Eddie drew up short with a sudden realization. This was clearly their destination and the “shortcut” bullshit had just been a ruse to get him there. Why? He didn’t know. But he had no intention of taking another step until he got some answers.

“Where the hell are you taking me?” he asked, though he had his suspicions.

Richie turned around, giving him an innocent look.

“I told you I’d get you where you’re going,” he said.

“I’m not going to a fucking party, Tozier.”

Richie grinned at him and Eddie somehow knew that it was because he knew his name. He hadn’t admitted to knowing anything about him until now and something oddly shifted in the air between them now that he’d done so.

“Trust me,” Richie said, stepping closer to him.

“Why would I do that?” Eddie scoffed.

“Have I given you any reason not to?”

The question weighed heavily on Eddie. He didn’t like it and didn’t want to answer, and for good reason. Because it was nothing he wanted to admit to himself.

“I could’ve told Bowers where you were,” Richie continued, raising one eyebrow. “I could’ve left you to fend for yourself. But out of the goodness of my big heart-”

Eddie snorted, unsure that he wanted to believe Richie’s motivations were purely unselfish. There was something going on beneath the surface. Something in Richie’s eyes that told him there was more to this than he knew.

“Out of the goodness of my heart,” he repeated, grinning at Eddie. “I rescued you.”

Eddie didn’t even want to justify his words with an answer. It _wasn’t_ a rescue.

“Why do we need to go into that party?” he demanded, gesturing at the house.

“All will be revealed in time,” Richie said simply.

Then he turned around and began walking again. Just like before, Eddie knew that he had little choice but to follow him. That didn’t mean that he had to like it or that every single insult and curse he could come up with weren’t circling his mind in relation to Richie fucking Tozier. Yet once they stepped into the house and it turned out to be even more crowded than he imagined, Eddie moved closer to him, telling himself the whole time that it was because Richie was the only person he really knew. There were a few people he recognized from their school but none of them were his friends.

He couldn’t help but pull his inhaler out of his pocket as the people around him pressed in and the music thumped loudly around them. Apparently the movement didn’t go unnoticed by the asshole who dragged him in there. Eddie nearly jumped out of his skin when Richie reached out and took his hand, squeezing it once in an almost comforting gesture as he looked down at Eddie. His hand was warm but not warm enough that it was sweaty and there was something about the way it enveloped Eddie’s that made his panic ebb away slowly. Eddie really had no idea what to do with that realization.

“Don’t worry, Eds!” he yelled over the music, a smile on his face. “I’m not gonna let you get lost!”

With that, Richie began leading him through the crowd. Eddie held his hand tightly, going against his better instincts by praying that they didn’t get separated. The house was dimly lit and people were dancing and drinking all around him. They made their way through three different rooms before coming upon the kitchen where the music wasn’t quite so loud and there were far less people. Leaning against the counter was someone that Eddie definitely recognized, a smile on her face as she talked to a broad-shouldered guy around their age that Eddie thought he might have seen around town.

“Beverly, my dear sweet friend,” Richie said happily as they approached.

She turned and beamed at him, pulling him into a hug with one arm before pressing a smacking kiss to his cheek. Then her eyes fell on Eddie and she stared at him with surprise.

“Homeschool, you come here often?” Richie said, patting the broader guy’s back.

“Everytime you convince me to, Rich,” he said before his eyes flickered to Eddie as well.

Richie noticed where their attention had gone and smiled even wider, tugging Eddie forward.

“Aye, I found this poor chap all alone in our neck of the woods,” he said in a terrible, exaggerated British accent, gesturing to Eddie with his free hand. “Couldn’t leave him behind. He’s too adorable not to bring along on my adventures, don’t you think?”

A slow smile formed on Beverly’s face as she looked at Eddie, her eyes flickering purposefully to where his hand was joined with Richie. But, for some reason, he didn’t let go. He didn’t want to let go. Eddie chose to think of it as a safety blanket situation instead of the real possibility that he just liked holding Richie’s hand.

“Eddie Kaspbrak, right?” Beverly said.

He nodded, trying not to show just how incredibly out of place he felt.

“I’m Mike,” the other guy said, shooting Eddie a friendly smile.

“Eddie,” he said, repeating his name even though Mike had already heard it.

“You cool with giving us a ride later?” Richie asked.

Mike nodded without hesitation, clapping a hand on Richie’s shoulder.

“Later?” Eddie said, frowning at him.

While he was happy that it turned out there could be a car to take him back to his side of town, he wasn’t so thrilled at Richie’s timeline.

“Yeah,” Richie nodded, turning to face him fully. “Don’t you wanna have some fun?”

Eddie shook his head vehemently. Having fun was not on his list of things to do right now. All he wanted to do was get out of there.

“I just want to go to my friend Bill’s house,” he said honestly.

“Bill Denbrough? I have him in art,” Beverly said before taking a sip of her drink.

Eddie nodded this time, looking from Richie to her and back.

“We’ll get you there,” Richie said, flashing him a smile that made Eddie feel like there was more to it than that. “But I just want one thing from you first.”

Trepidation filled him as he stared at Richie.

“What?” he said slowly.

“Payment for my efforts, if you will,” Richie said.

“Oh God.”

He grinned and Eddie stared, torn between wanting to get it over with and really not wanting to know what Richie had in mind.

“One dance, Eddie Spaghetti,” he said, holding up one finger on his free hand, reminding Eddie that their other hands were still joined.

“That’s even worse than all the other nicknames put together,” Eddie said with a grimace.

“So that’s a yes then?”

Richie didn’t wait for an answer, waving to Mike and winking at Beverly before dragging him back into the throng of people. Eddie felt his panic rising again but then Richie was turning towards him and wrapping both hands around his hips, dragging him in close.

“You don’t mind this, do ya Eddie?” Richie asked, ducking his head close so that Eddie could hear him over the music.

He guided Eddie’s hips, pressed so close to him that Eddie wasn’t even sure that this counted as actual dancing. Color rose in his cheeks as he glanced around, not used to being this close to anyone, much less another guy. It wasn’t that he was opposed to it. He’d known for sure that he was gay for three years now. But to do it so openly made him feel exposed in a way that he wasn’t sure that he liked.

“Don’t worry,” Richie said, his lips at his ear causing Eddie to shiver before he pulled away to look up at him. “No one gives a shit here. Everyone is just out for a good time. They don’t care who you fuck.”

Eddie frowned at him.

“We are not fucking!”

Richie bared his teeth in a wide grin and Eddie was once again reminded of the wolf on his shirt. He wasn’t a terrible dancer and the way that he moved with Eddie definitely felt nice once he let himself relax a little. It wasn’t something he was used to, though, and he moved awkwardly even with Richie guiding him.

“C’mon, Red,” Richie said, grabbing Eddie’s arms to loop them around his shoulders. “Let go a little. Pull that stick out of your ass. Promise I won’t bite.”

This entire situation was way outside of Eddie’s comfort zone. His head swam as he tried to make sense of how exactly he ended up here, pressed this close to Richie Tozier of all people. This was not how Eddie planned for the night to go. But he was there and for once in his life, there was no one around watching him closely who cared who he was or what he did or who he liked. Sinking his teeth into his lower lip, he tried to mimic Richie’s movements. The other boy rewarded him with a nod and a smile, pressing his hand to Eddie’s lower back to pull him in even closer. It was highly inappropriate and incredibly dirty feeling but Eddie found himself lost in the thumping music and the feeling of Richie grinding and swaying with him. It was impossible not to get caught up in it, feeling free and hot and strangely giddy all at once.

“You’re fucking beautiful, Eds, you know that?” Richie called to him.

Color flooded Eddie’s cheeks and he glanced up from beneath his lashes, unable to quite believe what Richie was saying. Maybe he was high and that’s why he did all of this. Or maybe he just really thought that Eddie was beautiful.

“And cute!” Richie said, shaking his head as he ruined the moment. “Cute, cute, _cute_!”

Eddie moved a hand from Richie’s shoulder and slapped it over his mouth, glaring up at him.

“I like you better when you’re not talking!”

Richie raised one eyebrow and lifted his hand, freeing his mouth from Eddie’s hold.

“Well if you want, I can think of some other things to do with my lips,” he offered. “But then your mom would get jealous so I better not.”

Eddie’s blush deepened and he glowered up at Richie, aware that they hadn’t stopped dancing so close even as they spoke.

“Why did you stop to help me?” he asked, ignoring the ridiculous joke.

“Can’t resist a damsel in distress,” Richie shrugged.

It was incredibly tempting to stomp on his foot out of frustration that he didn’t seem to take anything seriously. But then the song drew to a close and Richie stepped away before another one started, reaching up to take Eddie’s hand again.

“Well met, good fellow,” he said, bending over into a dramatic bow. “Your end of the bargain has been fulfilled. Now let us get you on to Castle Denbrough. Pip pip and tally-ho.”

Eddie barely had time to react before Richie was tugging him back towards the front of the house where they met Beverly and Mike. As they stepped outside, he only managed to tug his hand away before Richie was tossing an arm over his shoulders, pulling him in close. Eddie didn’t even try to fight his way out of it, feeling like certain things were lost causes when it came to Richie.

“So how’d you end up in our part of town, Eddie?” Beverly asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Bowers and his friends chased me over here,” he said simply.

She glanced at Richie, who nodded once just before she turned around to face forward again.

“I’m glad Rich found you, then,” she said without looking back. “They get away with a lot over here.”

“They get away with a lot anywhere,” Eddie said, feeling confused.

“Not like here,” Mike threw in, shaking his head. “Bowers is gonna kill someone one day.”

Eddie felt the gravity of the knowledge that existed between the three friends and wondered exactly what Bowers had gotten away with over here that made them feel that way. Glancing over at Richie, he noticed for the first time that the other boy wouldn’t meet his gaze.

“Is that why you came into that alley?” he asked quietly.

Richie shrugged but didn’t say anything. It was frustrating not to get any straight answers but Eddie had the sense that they weren’t doing it to mess with him. They just didn’t like to talk about it. Before he could say anything else, they reached a faded white pickup truck about halfway down the street as Mike pulled a set of keys out. Richie opened the back door once it was unlocked and gestured for Eddie to climb in first, following him and and slamming the door shut as soon as they were settled.

Beverly took the passenger seat as Mike slid into the driver’s seat and turned the rumbling engine on. There were no seatbelts in the back and Eddie had to fight not to react to it, gripping his knees tightly as Mike pulled away from the curb. It felt strange not to be close to Richie now. His body felt oddly cold in spite of the red jacket that he still wore. Movement from the front caught Eddie’s eye and he watched as Beverly rolled down the window and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her purse.

“Eddie’s got asthma, Bev,” Richie said, tapping his fingers on the door beside him.

Beverly looked back at Eddie with wide eyes and he didn't bother to correct either of them.

“Sorry,” she said, stowing the cigarettes away.

“You didn’t know,” Eddie said, glancing briefly at her before looking at Richie.

More pieces were starting to fit together. Most of what Richie did was to get him away from Bowers. But that didn’t explain the blatant flirting, the hand-holding, and the dancing. Was Richie just screwing around with him? How did he know that Eddie was gay? Not even his friends knew. Eddie wasn’t keeping it from them to hurt them but he was afraid that it would put a distance between them, even though he knew that they were all good people and his fears were probably stupid. There was no sign that Richie was gay, but then again there wasn’t any sign that he wasn’t gay either. Eddie was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice when they crossed into the other part of Derry. Suddenly the truck was pulling to a stop and Beverly and Mike were both looking back at him.

“It was nice to meet you,” Mike said.

“Hope to see you around,” Beverly told him with a small smile.

Eddie nodded at them before looking out the window, his mouth falling open when he saw Bill’s house on the other side of the street. He didn’t notice that they were even close, much less that they were there at all. His thoughts were so focused on Richie and his confusion over this entire evening that he had blocked out the rest of the world. Speaking of, Richie’s hand came into view and Eddie looked down just in time to see that he was reaching around him to open the door. Turning his head, he came nearly nose-to-nose with the other boy, blushing as he did so before looking away again as cold air from outside entered the truck.

“Have a good night, Red,” Richie said quietly in his ear.

Eddie shivered at the feeling before glancing over at him again, leaning away just a little bit so that he could actually meet Richie’s eyes.

“Thank you,” he said.

Richie blinked with surprise before grinning at him.

“See you later,” he said, reaching up to brush his thumb over Eddie’s jaw.

For just a moment, Eddie wondered if Richie might kiss him. Even stranger, he briefly wondered if he might let him. Then he heard someone calling his name from over his shoulder and knew that it had to be Bill.

“See you later,” Eddie repeated before turning away to slide out of the truck.

Once his feet were on solid ground, he glanced up and saw Bill, Stan, and Ben all gathered outside of the house. Tucking his hands in the pockets of his jacket, Eddie hurried across the road towards them, feeling Richie’s eyes on him the whole way.

“Wh-where have you b-b-been?” Bill asked, stepping forward to catch Eddie with his hands on his shoulders. “W-we didn’t want to c-call your mom and get you in tr-trouble.”

“You were supposed to be here over an hour ago,” Stan told him.

“Is that Beverly Marsh?” Ben said with wide, awestruck eyes.

They all looked over Eddie at the truck. Slowly he turned to see that it was still idling there.

“And Richie Tozier?” Stan said with disbelief. “What the hell, Eddie?”

Eddie didn’t say anything, lifting his hand to wave goodbye. Beverly smiled at him through the open window and waved back happily along with Mike. Richie was in the middle of lighting a cigarette and simply saluted him with two fingers before nodding at Mike to drive. The others watched with shocked looks as the truck pulled away but all that Eddie could feel was the strangest feeling that the past hour or so had been something between a dream and reality.

“Eddie-” Stan began.

“L-let’s get inside first,” Bill suggested.

They did just that, filing in one after another. Eddie knew that they would want an explanation but he wasn’t sure that he could actually tell them what happened. There was so much that he didn’t understand yet. All that knew was that Richie said that they would see each other again and for some reason, Eddie believed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think, even if you think this is a crazy weird thing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turned out that getting to know Richie was a lot like falling down a hole into Wonderland. Only Eddie wasn't sure that the analogy worked because he didn't just fall. He jumped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I have no idea what I'm doing with this. I'm sort of just writing and whatever happens happens. It might be terrible but at least I'm having fun, I guess.
> 
> I know that characterization, especially with regards to Richie, might be a little off but I have a reason for it and some of his life is going to be revealed over time should I continue. It isn't quite the same as canon in some ways.

A week passed. Then two. Eddie started to wonder if he simply dreamed the entire thing. If Bill, Stan, and Ben hadn’t seen Richie, Beverly, and Mike drop him off at Bill’s house, he would have had no proof of the dreamlike experience. It wasn’t like he never saw Richie. They had two classes together, when Richie decided to show up. But their eyes never met and they never said a word to one another. There were times when he felt a prickle on the back of his neck, the feeling of being watched, but Eddie could never quite bring himself to look. He didn’t know if he was afraid that Richie looking or afraid that he wasn’t.

Then a note was dropped in his locker one random day. It would have escaped Eddie’s notice if he didn’t keep an impeccable space. A torn piece of paper definitely caught his eye and he caught it before it could flutter to the ground, wondering if someone might have slipped it between the slats of the metal door by mistake. But then he caught sight of one word scrawled out in messy red writing. He knew that the color of the ink wasn’t a coincidence. It was as much of a message as the actual writing.

**_lunch_ **

That was all that it said. There was no name or location. Eddie knew who it was from. No one else would go out of their way to be this annoying and mysterious while still making Eddie want to go along with it too. It was the first hint from Richie that anything actually happened. The first indication that he meant it when he told Eddie that he would see him later. It was beyond frustrating that seventeen days had to pass before it happened but Eddie couldn’t fight the excitement and nerves rising  in his chest.

“I’m not going to be at lunch,” he said as soon as he closed his locker, tucking the note away in his pocket as he turned to face Stan.

“Why not?” Stan asked with a frown.

He’d been giving Eddie strange looks ever since that night. They were few and far between now but he wasn’t stupid. None of his friends were. They didn’t push him for details beyond the vague story that he told them about winding up with Richie and his friends but they all knew that he wasn’t sharing everything. Eddie didn’t ever want to lie to any of them. They had years of friendship and trust built up between them. He wasn’t going to risk that even for Richie. But that didn’t mean that he had to give all the details..

“I have a meeting,” Eddie said as they began walking down the hallway to their AP Physics class.

“With a teacher?” Stan asked, fiddling with the straps of his backpack.

“No.”

He could feel Stan’s eyes on the side of his face but refused to meet his gaze. Eddie was really bad about standing his ground when it came to his friends. The temptation to break down and admit everything was nudging in at the back of his mind.

“You’re acting weird,” Stan informed him.

“I know,” Eddie said, finally looking over at him before they walked into the classroom. “But I’m okay.”

It seemed to be enough for now. Stan simply nodded and thankfully didn’t press him anymore, walking in ahead of Eddie. This would probably come up later. They always ate lunch together. It had been that way since elementary school when it was just Eddie and Bill. Then Stan came along in fourth grade and Ben joined up with their little group in middle school. One day wouldn’t hurt them but Eddie knew that there would be questions later whether he liked it or not. With any luck, he might actually have some answers.

* * *

Eddie was a ball of nervous energy by the time lunch rolled around. He was certain that everyone could tell. It felt like they were all staring at him as he snuck glances to the clock at the back of his government class, biting down on his lower lip as the little hands creeped closer and closer to noon. Then the bell finally rang and Eddie noted with relief that everyone was in a rush to get out. All for different reasons from him, but maybe he wasn’t quite as obvious as he feared. It wasn’t until he closed his books up in his locker and turned to walk away that he realized that he had no idea where to go. He didn’t particularly have to pull the paper back out of his pocket but he did so anyway, as if it would offer further clues

But it looked the same, the one simple word telling him when. Maybe Richie was going to come find him? No, Eddie didn’t remember the last time he actually saw Richie or Beverly indoors during the lunch hour. They always went somewhere. Knowing that the bleachers were his best bet, Eddie tucked his head down and went in the opposite direction of the cafeteria, struggling through the flow of hungry students. His stomach was such a twist of nerves that he couldn’t eat if he wanted to, even though there was a perfectly good lunch sitting in his locker. When he stepped outside, the sun from the morning was gone.

There were grey clouds hanging threateningly over Derry but no rain had fallen yet. Eddie looked around as the wind picked up, putting his hands in his jacket as he began making his way towards the football field. Sure enough, he saw two people beneath the bleachers leaning casually against the metal supports. One had hair the color of orange flames and the other inky black curls. Eddie nearly stopped in place when he realized what he was doing. Maybe he was all wrong. Maybe it was just a note shoved in the wrong locker. Maybe Richie didn’t want to see him at all. Then he looked at Richie, _really_ looked at him, and nearly laughed aloud when he saw the ugly Hawaiian print shirt that he wore over a white t-shirt and under his leather jacket.

It was so out of place yet somehow fit Richie perfectly. Outlandish and a little too much to take in at first. Yeah, perfect. Somehow the mere existence of the shirt made Richie and this entire situation seem a little less intimidating. It was nothing like the snarling wolf shirt. Eddie surged ahead, knowing that he could handle this even if Richie wasn’t the one to drop the note in his locker. It didn’t take long for the two to notice his slow approach, their heads lifting in sync  Richie was quick to drop the cigarette in his hand, stomping it out, and Beverly looked more than a little amused as she did the same.

“Red,” Richie said, beaming at him. “Fancy seeing you here.”

The way he said it, as if he knew that Eddie would come all along, eased all of his doubts. Of course Richie wrote the note.

“That’s my cue,” Beverly said, ruffling Richie’s hair affectionately before passing by Eddie with a soft smile, squeezing his arm lightly as she went.

Eddie turned his head to watch her go, somehow feeling guilty as if it was his fault she was leaving. He didn’t mind that she was there. In fact, he just assumed that she would be. Beverly and Richie were so obviously a package deal. Never one without the other. Glancing back at Richie, he nearly forgot what he was going to ask when he saw the focused look the other boy was giving him.

“She has to makeup a test,” Richie said, beating him to the punch.

Eddie nodded, feeling relieved that it wasn’t him that drove Beverly away.

“Plus she didn’t want to stick around in case we decided to get it on in the dirt.”

Yeah, that sounded like Richie. Eddie wrinkled his nose, taking a few steps towards him.

“That’s disgusting,” he said, taking Beverly’s place leaning against a spot where two support beams crossed in an x. “Thanks for the vaguest fucking note in the world by the way. That one word really gave me a lot to go on.”

“You’re here, aren’t you?” Richie asked, raising one eyebrow.

Eddie couldn’t really counter that with any good argument so he simply shrugged one shoulder.

“For now,” he said.

Richie let out a laugh and it sounded different now that they weren’t in a dark alley. He looked different, now that Eddie really gave him a good onceover. There wasn’t any good light to see him in the night they met but now he could see dark circles beneath his eyes and a hollowness to his cheeks that he swore wasn’t there before.

“Do you eat?” he asked before he could help himself.

Richie stared at him for a few long, almost uncomfortable seconds before answering.

“No, I use photosynthesis like a fucking plant,” he said in a deadpan voice.

Eddie scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“I never see you at lunch,” he said.

“Have you ever tried the shit they make in that so-called kitchen?” Richie asked.

Eddie shook his head. He saw it from afar but he and his friends were never willing to risk getting too close. They all brought their lunch, along with the majority of the student body. It didn’t seem quite so bad when the other option was possible food poisoning.

“I’m better off starving,” Richie said, softening the words with a smirk.

But the way he spoke made Eddie feel a jolt of guilt for bringing it up at all, like the joke had an undercurrent of truth to it. He had the feeling, looking at Richie’s pale skin, that the other boy knew exactly how it felt to be hungry in a way that Eddie never did. It almost seemed like Richie could sense his thoughts because he there was a tension in his shoulders that hadn’t been there before.

“Why’d you want me to come out here?” Eddie asked, changing the subject.

“Told you I’d see you later,” Richie said.

“Yeah, almost three weeks ago.”

Richie looked beyond amused at Eddie’s words.

“You been counting, Eddie Spaghetti?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Don’t change the subject,” Richie said in an almost challenging way.

“It’s not that hard to look at a calendar, Richie,” Eddie said with a sigh.

Suddenly Richie was straightening up. If he looked amused before, he was absolutely _delighted_ now. Eddie stared at him warily as he walked to him.

“That’s the first time you’ve said my name, Eds,” Richie said, pressing his hands to the two beams on either side of Eddie to stand over him.

Eddie’s mind took a moment to catch up as he tried to adjust to Richie’s sudden proximity.

“Yeah, and notice how I used the whole thing. Richie,” he drew out his name out slowly, hoping his voice wasn’t quite as off as it sounded to him. “It’s not that hard, calling someone by their actual name.”

Richie didn’t rise to the bait, grinning down at him.

“You are just the cutest thing when you blush,” he said.

Eddie’s cheeks warmed even more at his words and his patience for being loomed over was quickly running out. He stood up without thinking it through, bringing him and Richie even closer as the other boy didn’t bother to move his arms. Eddie was caged in, looking up at Richie with their bodies mere inches apart. The familiar smell of smoke, leather, and cologne filled Eddie’s senses but he refused to let it distract him.

“I’m not cute,” he said, remembering that he spoke the same words in the alley as Richie crouched in front of him.

Richie’s eyes darted over Eddie’s face behind his glasses before lingering on his lips, then locking on his eyes with the slightest bit of heat in his gaze. A shiver ran down Eddie’s spine and he couldn’t help but shudder a little. It didn’t go unnoticed. Richie was stepping away before he could say anything, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

“C’mon Red,” he said, stepping away.

Eddie did _not_ want to think about why he felt a little colder with distance between them.

“Where?” he asked.

“You’re cold as fuck,” was all that Richie said before turning away.

Much like he had before, Eddie caught up with him and Richie slowed his pace as they fell into step. They didn’t make it six feet away from the bleachers before Richie was suddenly launching into a story about something funny that happened in his second period Calculus class with Mr. Clarke. Richie spoke quickly and loudly, his words as colorful and profanity laden as always. But Eddie found himself engrossed in the story before long. That turned into another story and then another that lasted all the way until they were standing just inside of the doors to the school. Richie swept a hand through his messy curls as Eddie watched him.

“What?” Richie said when he noticed his stare.

Eddie shook his head, trying in vain to put together the puzzle that was Richie Tozier.

“For someone who talks so much, you really have no right to be as mysterious as you are,” he said.

Richie looked at him strangely, as if he couldn’t really decide how to feel about Eddie’s words. Then he was lifting his hand to stroke Eddie’s jaw much like he had in Mike’s truck. Eddie didn’t even think to look around to see if there was anyone who might see them. His attention was one hundred percent focused on Richie and the soft sweep of his thumb. Then suddenly Richie’s hand dropped and he was stepping away, turning to walk down the hall.

“Where are you going?” Eddie asked, frowning after him.

He was more confused than ever, if possible. Was that really it? Richie just wanted to see him for a few minutes? Was it his goal to be as frustrating as he could be?

“The gym,” Richie said, turning around to walk backwards. “You coming?”

Eddie didn’t say anything, simply taking a step forward to follow him.

“You gonna walk backwards the whole way?” he asked.

“Maybe,” Richie said, his eyes shining in a way that told Eddie he wasn’t planning on doing so until he mentioned it.

“You’re a dumbass,” Eddie informed him.

“I like it when you talk dirty to me, baby,” he winked at him.

“Oh shut up.”

Their bickering continued all the way to the gym where Richie stretched out across one of the bleachers with his hands under his head.

“Tell me another story,” Eddie said, sitting a few steps above him with his arms folded on his knees.

Richie glanced up at him with wide eyes as if he didn’t expect to hear that. Then he was throwing himself into an elaborate tale of what happened when he and Beverly managed to sneak into four different movies at the Aladdin in one day before they were caught. The way he talked about it, it seemed as harrowing as Mission Impossible movie and Eddie couldn’t help but be pulled in by the story and the person telling it. He didn’t have any idea what the hell was going on between them and there were more questions than answers at this point but right now, he felt pretty good.

* * *

Eddie didn’t see much of Richie for another week. They made eye contact when Richie showed up for class and exchanged looks when they passed in the hallways but there was very little contact otherwise. Then he found himself in the bathroom between fifth and sixth period washing his hands. Of course Richie wandered in so naturally that Eddie had to really wonder whether he came in on purpose or if it was merely a coincidence. He didn’t do anything but lean against the wall, watching as Eddie rinsed his hands off before resoaping them once, then twice. As he was scrubbing the third time, he glanced up in the mirror and saw that Richie was in the perfect spot to stare back at him.

“Are you just in here to watch me?” he asked, wondering if Richie relished in making people feel uncomfortable.

“You’ve got a nice ass,” Richie said with a shrug.

He ducked his head again, not wanting Richie to see his reaction.

“You ever skipped a class?”

Eddie snorted, finally shutting off the water once his hands were rinsed clean.

“What do you think?” he asked, turning to the paper towel dispenser.

“I think you should,” Richie said, pushing off of the wall. “With me, right now.”

Eddie looked over at him, fully intending to ask if he was fucking kidding. But Richie was closer than before and his magnetism started to draw Eddie in like it always did. He couldn’t shake him. There was just something about Richie that got under his skin from that first conversation in the alley.

“I can’t,” Eddie said, breaking their gaze before he did something stupid like agree.

“Why not?” Richie asked.

Knowing full well that saying “because it’s against the rules” would probably earn him a teasing comment, Eddie simply shrugged as he tossed the used paper towels in the trash.

“C’mon, Eds. Live a little,” Richie said.

“I live plenty, thank you.”

He started towards the door but Richie got there before he could, opening it for him.

“You can’t tell me that you never just want to say ‘fuck it’ and do something you want for once,” Richie said, walking out with him.

“No I don’t,” Eddie said, feeling strange with Richie walking beside him through the crowded hallway.

It was the first time they’d interacted among their peers, not counting Beverly of course. Richie seemed perfectly happy to walk with him down the hallway but Eddie was fidgeting with his straps, certain that the entire school was watching and wondering why a tight-ass like him was walking with the notoriously laid back Richie Tozier. It was probably closer to the truth that no one cared but Eddie’s anxiety didn’t like to listen to logic most of the time. He wasn’t about to step away from Richie, though. Eddie was firmly in his gravitational pull.

“So you really want to go sit and listen to a boring teacher drone on and on about some shit that’ll probably make you want to stab your eyes out?” Richie asked.

No, Eddie really didn’t want to do that. He had AP Geography, which was just about the most boring class he’d ever taken, but Richie didn’t have to know that he was right. Eddie certainly wasn’t going to provide that particular ego boost.

“Shouldn't you be somewhere bothering Beverly?” he said, keeping his voice quiet lest some teacher hear him.

“Nah she never skips art,” Richie said.

Eddie shook his head as he reached his locker and began putting in the combination. Richie still hadn’t given up. He was hovering nearby watching his every move.

“I’m not skipping class,” he said firmly.

“I’ll show you the ropes, it’s easier than you think,” Richie said, stepping in closer as someone bumped into him on their way down the hall. “It’ll be worth it, I promise.”

Eddie made the mistake of glancing over at him, ready to refuse him yet again. But something halted the words in his throat. A seed of doubt that planted itself in his mind. He had never wanted to skip a day in his life but here he was, actually considering doing it.

“Where would we even go?” he asked.

Richie grinned as if he could sense Eddie’s resolve weakening.

“Same place,” he said, leaning his shoulder against the locker next to Eddie. “It’s nice and quiet around this time of day.”

Eddie bit down on his lower lip, looking away from him and up at the books in his locker, considering every angle. There was only a minute or so before the final bell rang. He didn’t have long to decide.

“Just come and see what you think. If you want, you can always go to class and make up some bullshit excuse. You’re one of the good ones so they’ll probably believe you,” Richie said.

Eddie looked over at him for a long few moments before shouldering his backpack off and shoving it in his locker, grabbing his jacket out and slamming it shut before he could change his mind.

“Well?” he said, shrugging the jacket on before zipping it up.

Richie looked thrilled, pushing off to lead him through the hallways. Eddie checked the faces around them to see if there was suspicion but no one spared them a second glance. No one even cared when they pushed their way out through the double doors or when they began making their way over to the football field. Eddie’s heart was racing in his chest and he was certain that they were going to be caught any minute. But they made it to the bleachers uninhibited. Richie surprised him by circling around to climb them instead of ducking beneath them. Eddie followed him halfway up and watched as he sat on the very edge next to the railing.

“Like I said,” Richie sighed, leaning back with his elbows propped up on the bleachers behind him. “Nice and peaceful.”

Eddie rolled his eyes but sat a couple of rows up from him, stretching out his legs and crossing his ankles near Richie’s leg.

“I don’t ever come here when there’s an actual game,” he said.

“Who does?” Richie scoffed.

That was a good point. Derry’s football team sucked. Even if they didn’t, Eddie wasn’t exactly part of any crowd who had fun spending a Friday night in a crowded stadium screaming themselves hoarse.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Eddie muttered, bouncing his leg nervously.

“You’re shaking this entire thing,” Richie said, reaching over to flick his knee.

“Am not,” he said, smacking his hand away.

The only reply he got was a low laugh. They fell into an easy silence and Eddie started to understand what Richie meant. When he saw movement, he glanced over and saw Richie twirling a lighter between his fingers as he stared out at the football field. He barely seemed aware of what he was doing but the lighter never slipped from his hand.

“Why do you do this?” Eddie asked, leaning forward just a little bit. “Do you really hate class that much?”

Richie glanced over at him, a strange look on his face.

“Yeah,” he said, looking away again when he spoke. “Sitting still that long is… they think I’m disruptive cause it’s hard. I guess I am but it’s not something I can really control most of the time. And no matter what I do, I piss them all off. So what’s the fucking point, huh?”

“To graduate,” Eddie said, confused about why that wasn’t obvious.

“Yeah? And then what?” Richie said.

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say. That wasn’t up to him. Not when it came to Richie. They were only juniors. There was time to think about it.

“What do you want to do?” Eddie asked.

“Get out of this goddamn town,” Richie said without hesitation.

A few moments passed in silence before Eddie spoke again.

“So do I.”

The uncomfortable subject was starting to wear on Richie, Eddie could tell. When his mouth twitched and he glanced over at him, it was obvious that he was about to say something stupid.

"Sooner the better, Eds. Your mom’s a screamer and i’m tired of having to shut her up cause you’re sleeping in the next room.”

“Oh my God, shut the fuck up,” Eddie huffed, shaking his head. “You’re disgusting.”

Richie gasped dramatically and clutched his hands over his heart.

“Ouch! Tell me how you really feel.”

“Gladly,” Eddie retorted.

It went on like that for a while. The amount of inappropriate sexual jokes that Richie could fit into one ten minute conversation was completely ridiculous. When they heard a low rumble and glanced over at the student parking lot, Eddie’s blood ran a little cold at the sight of Bowers and the others pulling out of the parking lot. Apparently they weren’t the only ones who were skipping. Richie was staring in their direction too, a glare on his face.

“Beverly and Mike said that Bowers gets away with anything where you live,” Eddie said, looking at Richie. “What does that mean?”

Richie looked as reluctant to answer as he did that first night.

“Just means that no one gives a shit,” he said.

Eddie remembered running through the streets with Bowers and the others chasing him in a car and wondered how many people must have seen it and looked the other way. But one person didn’t. One person gave a shit and he was sitting with Eddie right now. He opened his mouth to speak, unsure of what he was going to say, but another voice rang out before he could.

“Mr. Tozier, why am I not surprised.”

Eddie jolted just as Richie sat up and shook his head, silently telling him with the sharp look in his eyes to shut the fuck up.

“Hey Mr. Sloane,” he said, peering over the edge of the bleachers at the principal of Derry HIgh. “How are you doing today? How’s the wife.”

“Down here now,” Mr. Sloane said, his voice hard.

Eddie watched with his lips pressed together and his eyes wide as Richie stood up and brushed himself off casually before sauntering down the stairs as if he hadn’t just been caught blatantly breaking the rules. Of course this wasn’t his first time, Eddie knew that. But he wasn’t sure that anyone but Richie could be quite as casual and fearless when it came to their stern-looking principal.

“Care to explain what you’re doing out here?”

“It’s a damn gorgeous day, Mr. S. Who am I to deny myself the beauty of nature and all that?” Richie said as he hopped off of the bleachers without casting Eddie a second glance.

He was doing a great job of keeping attention on him. Eddie was frozen in place but if Mr. Sloan so much as tilted his head up and turned it a little, he’d see him sitting there.

“There are a lot of space wasters at this school, Tozier, but you are by far the biggest pain in my ass.”

Eddie’s eyes widened at the principal’s words. They were not only incredibly inappropriate, but they were cruel as well. How could he justify speaking to a student that way? It had to be against some sort of code of conduct.

“Thanks, sir,” Richie said in a voice that sounded unaffected.

But Eddie could read between the lines and he could hear the slightest off sound to Richie’s voice. He wasn’t unaffected. Who would be, after being told something like that?

“My office, now. We’ll discuss the length of your suspension.”

Before Eddie knew it, he was clambering down the bleachers clumsily. He nearly fell off of them when he reached the ground and glanced up in time to see Richie staring at him with an annoyed and slightly alarmed look, clearly wondering why Eddie hadn’t stayed where he was when he was about to be in the clear.

“Mr. Kaspbrak,” the principal said, blinking several times as if he was trying to figure out whether he was seeing things.

Clearly Eddie was the last person he expected to see out here skipping class with Richie. The only time they ever really crossed paths was at the occasional National Honor Society meeting. This was definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum.

“What are you doing here?” Mr. Sloane asked, looking confused.

“I’m, uh...,” Eddie breathed out, glancing at Richie, whose face was strangely blank, before looking back at Mr. Sloane. “I’m skipping?”

He winced when the words came out as a question. It was definitely a worst nightmare situation. When his mom found out that he skipped his class, he would be on lockdown for a least a month, if not more. But Eddie simply saw red when Mr. Sloane talked to Richie that way, so here he was.

“You should get back to class, Mr. Kaspbrak.”

Eddie watched as Mr. Sloane turned away again, frowning slightly.

“I’m skipping,” he repeated, more certain and steady this time. “Whatever punishment Richie gets is what I should get too.”

“Red-”

Eddie cut Richie off with a look before turning his eyes to Mr. Sloane where he’d spun around again.

“Mr. Tozier is a repeat offender, you are not,” he said simply.

It was a bullshit way to get Richie a suspension and Eddie nothing at all. Clearly Mr. Sloane didn’t like Richie, which didn’t come as any surprise since he was a notorious troublemaker, but that didn’t mean that Eddie was just going to stand by and do nothing.

“Shit,” he blurted out.

The principal’s eyebrows flew up as Richie did a terrible job of covering a laugh with a cough.

“Excuse me?” Mr. Sloane said as if he couldn’t quite believe what he heard.

“I was caught skipping class and swearing on campus. I’m a repeat offender now,” Eddie said, his hands shaking and his heart pounding even as his voice remained steady.

“Mr. Kaspbrak-”

“Fuck!”

“Stop that,” Mr. Sloane said, his face turning slightly pink.

Eddie stared at him as he glanced from him to Richie and back several times before seeming to accept the situation.

“Detention after school, both of you,” he said, glaring at Richie as if it was all his fault. “Get to class now.”

Not wanting to tempt him to increase the punishment, Eddie hurried forward to walk and Richie stepped to his side to do the same.

“What the fuck, Eddie?” he hissed, though not quietly enough.

“Don’t test me, Mr. Tozier,” Mr. Sloane said as he followed them back towards the school.

Eddie, however, was looking at Richie with surprise because that was the first time he’d ever said his actual name rather than a nickname. Richie waved over his shoulder dismissively, refusing to look away from Eddie.

"I don’t like how he was talking to you,” Eddie admitted quietly, looking away.

Nothing happened for a few long seconds but then Richie finally let out a laugh.

“I’m used to it, Eds,” he said, shaking his head.

“Yeah well I’m not,” Eddie said, feeling a little shaky and sick now that it was all over and he was being punished with detention for the first time in his entire education. “It’s not right.”

Richie huffed, knocking against Eddie’s shoulder gently as they walked. Once they reached the building and walked through the doors, Eddie prepared to hurry to his locker and grab his backpack and books. He didn’t have any idea where Richie was headed, though he was still going in the same direction as Eddie.

“Mr. Kaspbrak.”

Even though Mr. Sloane only called for him, both of them stopped. Only Eddie turned to look at him, wondering if this was where he got in more trouble for mouthing off.

“A little piece of advice?” the older man said, glancing at the back of Richie’s head with a look of derision. “Stay away from Mr. Tozier. He’ll just keep dragging you down with him.”

The responding flinch from Richie that Eddie saw out of the corner of his eye made anger rise in his chest again. There were so many things that he wanted to say. The desire to shame the dick in charge was nearly overwhelming. But somehow Eddie managed to shove all of that away, straightening his shoulders and lifting his chin defiantly.

“No.”

It was a simple response, yet he knew and the principal knew that it was layered with so many unspoken words. Turning around, Eddie continued onto his locker and knew that Richie was right on his heels.

“You don’t think he’s right?”

The quiet words chased his anger away. Eddie slowly turned to see Richie staring at him with a vulnerability in his eyes that Eddie hadn’t seen before. It was obvious that Mr. Sloane’s words struck at some insecurity.

“I don’t,” Eddie said with a shake of his head. “I would have told him to shove his advice up his ass but I think that would have gotten me another detention.”

Richie stared at him for a long moment before his face broke out in a grin. He didn’t get to say anything as Mr. Sloane cleared his throat loudly from where he was still watching them. Neither of them glanced his way.

“See you in detention,” Richie said with a wink before turning to walk away.

Eddie sighed heavily as the consequences finally sank in. He was definitely screwed. Having to tell his mother was going to be bad enough. But a few hours later as the final bell rang and he made his way from his last class back to his locker, he hesitated at the sight of Bill and Stan both standing nearby. Bill had a car and usually gave them both a ride home but for obvious reasons, Eddie wouldn’t be joining them today.

“Everything o-okay?” Bill asked as he spun the combination on his locker to open it.

He nodded, slowly replacing books and taking out the ones he needed for homework. It was clear that they didn’t believe him judging by the look he saw them exchange.

“I’m not riding home with you today,” Eddie finally said as he zipped up his backpack.

“Why?” Stan said.

He wouldn’t lie to them. He couldn’t lie to them. They’d probably find out anyway. If a single person other than Richie was in detention, it’d probably spread through school that Eddie was there.

“I have detention,” he said reluctantly.

A shocked silence greeted him even amidst the loud bustle of the departing students around them.

“That’s not really funny,” Stan finally said.

Eddie sighed, straightening up to face them.

“It’s not a joke,” he said.

“What happened?” Bill asked.

Before Eddie could answer, a whistle sounded from his right. A whistle that he knew belonged to one Richie Tozier. Eddie didn’t look but both Bill and Stan did. Judging by the looks on their faces, it was pretty clear that Richie was waiting for him.

“What the fuck, Eddie?” Stan demanded.

“R-Richie again?”

Eddie winced at the anger in Stan’s voice and the concern in Bill’s.

“I’ll tell you everything later,” he said.

They both looked like they were definitely going to hold him to that. With a smile that was probably more of a grimace than anything else, Eddie turned away to walk towards Richiie.

“I’m not a fucking dog, Tozier,” he growled once he reached him.

“No but you’re a little pissy,” Richie said.

Eddie glowered over at him.

“I’ve never had detention before,” he said.

Richie simply looked amused.

“I would apologize but you were good to go until you decided to jump in and defend my honor,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” Eddie muttered.

He realized that he didn’t even know where detention was held but Richie was leading the way pretty confidently so he didn’t question it. When they reached the doorway of a classroom that was clearly set aside for it, Richie stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Sorry,” he said in spite of saying he wouldn’t apologize, no trace of humor on his face for once.

Eddie wanted to say something snarky about how he should be sorry since he convinced him to skip in the first place, but then he remembered how he felt sitting on those bleachers with Richie.

“Don’t be,” he found himself saying, looking up into Richie’s eyes. “You were right. It was worth it.”

Richie didn’t say anything, simply staring at him in that half confused, half amazed way. Eddie looked back at him for a few seconds before glancing into the classroom.

“Let’s get this over with,” he sighed.

Eddie walked in, knowing that the other boy would be right behind him. He didn’t know when it became normal, having Richie around. But he couldn’t find it in him to complain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie is on a collision course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the response so far. You are all amazing. I promise I will get caught up on responding to comments soon.
> 
> I really hope that you like this chapter! I've had it in my head since the beginning of the fic and so I'm super excited that to post it.

As it turned out, detention wasn’t quite as bad as Eddie fully expected it to be. The supervising teacher simply told them to find something to do before burying her nose in grading papers without looking up once. The worst part of it was trying his best not to notice Richie’s very distracting presence in the desk next to him. There were only two other students in the room but he still chose to sit right next to Eddie. When his leg wasn’t bouncing, he was tapping his fingers on the desk. When that wasn’t happening, he was humming just quietly enough to get away with it.

Eddie was starting to understand what he meant when he said that class was hard for him. He suspected why that was the case but knew that it would only be awkward to bring it up. When the hour was up and the teacher dismissed them, Richie leapt to his feet and Eddie expected him to bolt for the door like his ass was on fire. But instead Richie waited while he put away his notebook, much to his surprise, grinning as Eddie glanced up at him while shouldering his backpack.

“Didn’t you have homework to do?” Eddie asked as they walked into the empty, silent hallway.

“Probably,” Richie said, leaving it at that.

Neither of them spoke again as they made their way to the double doors. Richie’s longer legs carried him there first and he pushed one of the doors open, stepping aside to let Eddie through.

“Give you a ride home, Red?” he said.

“On what? Your back?” Eddie questioned without thinking.

“You can have me on my back anytime you want,” Richie said with a wink, and Eddie knew that he walked himself right into that one.

Before he could say anything, Richie jerked his chin towards the parking lot and the truck idling there. Beverly was perched on the hood and Mike was simply leaning against it, his arms folded over his chest. Without saying anything, Eddie started over towards the truck with Richie right on his heels.

“I can’t believe you got poor Eddie detention,” Beverly said with a shake of her head, though her eyes were shining with amusement.

“Excuse you, I threw myself on that grenade,” Richie said, gesturing to Eddie. “It’s not my fault this beautiful idiot shoved me out of the way and got us both blown the fuck up.”

“Can you be any more dramatic?” Eddie scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t _absolutely adore_ me, Eddie Spaghetti.”

Richie punctuated his words by throwing his arm around Eddie, pulling him back against his chest. They hadn’t been this close since they danced at the party over a month ago and Eddie cursed the warmth that rose to his cheeks. He lifted his hands to shove the arm away just as Richie pressed a smacking kiss to his cheek.

“Dumbass,” Eddie grumbled.

“You two are adorable,” Beverly said with a grin as she slid off the truck.

His blush deepened but he was fairly certain that there was a little bit of pink in Richie’s cheeks too as they made their way to the backseat of the truck. Eddie didn’t hesitate to haul himself up into the seat, thanking Mike for the ride as soon as he started up the engine.

“Anytime,” Mike said, smiling at him through the rearview mirror before pulling out of the spot where he was parked.

“So tell me how the hell you _didn’t_ get suspended for skipping?” Beverly asked, turning around fully in her seat to look at Richie.

The ride was filled with Richie recounting the story as if it was some great epic between Eddie giving Mike directions to his house. The other three burst into laughter when they heard how Eddie began cursing right in front of Mr. Sloane and Beverly even reached into the backseat for a high five which he willingly gave, a smile tugging at his lips. They got to his house pretty quickly and Eddie couldn’t deny the smallest feeling of disappointment stirring in his chest. This time, he opened his own door but before he could turn around to close it, Richie was sliding out too. Eddie watched as he squinted up at the two-story structure, shielding his eyes from the sun.

“What?” Eddie said warily.

“Just taking a good look,” Richie said, tilting his head down to look at him. “I only ever see the place at night when your mom has me sneak in the back door.”

“Shut up,” Eddie groaned, shaking his head as he turned away.

He heard Richie laugh behind him.

“See you later, Red.”

Eddie paused in place, glancing up at the house. He was already in deep shit if the school called his mom. He was surprised that she wasn’t out on the porch waiting for him, if not a little grateful. Turning around, he saw that Richie was still standing there watching him.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked.

Richie looked as though he was about to crack a joke but Eddie gave him a severe look that cut him off.

“Rain check,” Richie said simply.

Eddie glanced over Richie’s shoulder and saw that Beverly’s window was rolled down, though she and Mike were doing their best to make it look like they weren’t listening even though they obviously were.

“When?” Eddie said, looking back at Richie.

He didn’t answer right away, searching Eddie’s face for something before taking a few steps towards him. This time when he reached up, Eddie had to stop himself from looking back at his house to check that his mom wasn’t watching from the window as his heart picked up pace in his chest. Richie’s fingers brushed his cheek this time, a soft, barely there touch that sent shivers from his head to his toes. This wasn’t making anything less confusing for him.

“Soon,” Richie said, his hand dropping to his side.

Eddie believed him for some reason. Not trusting his voice right now, he simply nodded and turned around. He had to take a deep breath before walking up to his door. The slam of a car door closing reached his ears just as he opened it. Eddie didn’t look over his shoulder as he closed it behind him, even though it was really hard not to.

“Eddie Bear?” his mom called out from the living room.

She didn’t sound angry, which was immensely confusing to him.

“Yeah?” he asked, walking in warily.

She was frowning at him but not in any way that spoke of anger. She only looked worried.

“You’re home late,” she said, sounding upset.

“I-”

“If you have a meeting after school, you need to call next time. That’s why you have a phone,” his mother cut him off.

Eddie didn’t know exactly what was going. As far as he knew, the school usually called home when a student received detention. Not that he wasn’t relieved that it wasn’t the case this time.

“Sorry Mom,” he said.

“Are you feeling okay? You’re flushed.”

He nodded quickly, the ghost of Richie’s touch lingering on his cheek.

“It’s just from the wind,” he said.

“Call me next time if that Denbrough boy can’t bring you home and I’ll pick you up,” she said with a disapproving frown. “You’ll get sick if you walk.”

Eddie simply nodded again, taking a step back.

“I have homework,” he said, turning towards the stairs.

“Dinner will be ready at seven!” she called after him.

He didn’t answer, taking the steps two at a time until he was safely behind his bedroom door. Dropping his backpack on the ground, Eddie collapsed on his bed and stared at the ceiling for a long time. As much as he didn’t understand what drew him to Richie, he was finally ready to name whatever was going on in his head. As it turned out, Eddie apparently had a big crush on the foulmouthed, mysterious boy.

Shit.

* * *

“It’s hard to explain.”

The look on Stan’s face said enough. Eddie wasn’t going to get away it. More was expected of him and he knew, wit how strange he’d been acting, that his friend deserved a better explanation. They were sitting at the local diner after school with half eaten plates of food and shakes in front of them. Bill and Ben were both working or else they would have been there too. Detention had been two days ago and he still didn’t know exactly what to say to explain it.

“Do you remember the day I showed up late to Bill’s house?” Eddie said, playing with the napkin in his lap nervously.

“Vividly,” Stan said simply.

He thought through his words for a moment before opening his mouth to speak again.

“Richie found me in that alley hiding from Bowers and I just… I thought he was trying to trick me at first. I don’t really know why I followed him. I mean, I knew that I couldn’t make it out of there on my own. I had no idea where I was. In my mind, Richie was better than nothing.”

“Not sure I agree with that,” Stan muttered under his breath.

Eddie felt a pang of something in his chest. He wished that Stan could see Richie like he did. He wished that he was better at putting things into words. All that he could was his best, and that’s what he intended to do.

“He got me out of there. We found Bev and Mike-”

“At a bar?” Stan interrupted him.

Eddie gave him a confused look.

“You smelled like smoke and beer when you showed up at Bill’s house.”

“It was a party,” he said reluctantly.

Stan snorted, shaking his head.

“He took you to a party? And you went in willingly?” he said skeptically.

“Richie asked me to trust him,” Eddie said quietly, putting his napkin on the table when he realized that he was slowly shredding it to pieces. “Well… more like he asked if he’d done anything to make me _not_ trust him.”

Stan watched him without saying anything but there was doubt in his eyes.

“He was right,” Eddie said, staring back unflinchingly. “Nothing happened to me that night and it’s all thanks to Richie.”

“What are you talking about?” Stan sighed.

“Beverly said something,” Eddie said, remembering how worried she looked as they walked out of the party. “She was relieved when she heard that Richie found me before Bowers did. I think something really bad could have happened if he didn’t get me out of that alley.”

“Something bad always happens when Bowers is around,” Stan said.

“I think it’s worse in that part of town.”

Eddie didn’t know what to say when frustration crossed Stan’s face.

“That doesn’t really explain how you got detention with him.”

“I’m getting there,” Eddie sighed.

He talked Stan through the day Richie dropped the note in his locker, leaving out some of the details that he wanted to keep to himself but telling him the basic story. That led them to the day he skipped class with Richie, which he recounted as they stepped out of the diner and onto the street, walking side-by-side. Stan’s eyes narrowed even more, if possible, as he talked.

“So he convinced you to skip and then got you detention?”

Eddie huffed, stopping in place to look at him.

“It’s not like that,” he said, feeling the same need to defend Richie that he experienced when the principal was insulting him. “He actually took the fall and distracted the principal from seeing me. Mr. Sloane called him a waste of space, Stan. A pain in the ass too.”

Stan looked a little less annoyed and Eddie relaxed when he saw the look in his eyes soften just a little bit.

“I was going to get away with it because of Richie but I chose to speak up. I got myself detention.”

He left out the part where he cursed at their principal until he relented, knowing that Stan would definitely disapprove.

“Why?” Stan asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“You weren’t there,” Eddie said with a shake of his head. “I just… I felt this need to defend him.”

Stan didn’t look any less confused, though Eddie could tell that he was thinking it through silently.

“I don’t get it,” he finally said.

“Like I said, it’s hard to explain,” Eddie sighed, his shoulders slumping. “There’s just this… connection. Like Richie’s the sun and I’m a planet and there’s some gravitational thing that keeps pulling me towards him. I can’t stay away.”

“Have you tried?”

The question nearly stumped Eddie. He thought about it for a long few moments.

“I-I don’t think I want to,” he admitted.

Stan huffed and opened his mouth to say something else but someone called out Eddie’s name, interrupting him. They both looked around only to see Beverly walking across the street directly towards them. Her hair gleamed in the sun and she was carrying a brown paper bag coated in grease at the bottom. Her grin was infectious and Eddie couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Hey,” she said, pulling him into a one-armed hug.

Eddie couldn’t resist hugging her back. She just exuded warmth and light. It was impossible not to like her. He’d challenge even Stan to try.

“I’m Beverly,” she said, shoving her hand out towards Stan once they separated as if she could read Eddie’s thoughts.

“Stan,” he said with a small frown on his face, though he shook her hand anyway.

“Nice to meet you,” she said, and there was no doubt that she meant it. “What are you guys up to?”

“Just hanging out,” Eddie said with a shrug, praying that Stan wouldn’t bring up what they were talking about. “You?”

She stepped away, holding up the paper bag in her hand.

“Bringing Richie dinner,” Beverly said.

Eddie’s heart skipped a little at the mere mention of his name and it must have shown on his face because Beverly was grinning at him again. He inwardly cursed himself for being so obvious.

“He works at the record store on the end of the street,” she said, tilting her head in the direction of the store in question. “Wanna come?”

Part of Eddie really wanted to say no, that he didn’t want to seem too eager, but the part of him that really wanted to say yes was far louder. He glanced to Stan and found that he couldn’t quite read the expression on his face.

“That okay with you?” Eddie asked, dreading his answer.

“Sure,” Stan said slowly, taking him by surprise.

Eddie had no idea why he would agree but he wasn’t about to question it.

“Perfect!” Beverly said.

They started walking with her as she asked Stan questions about school and classes. She mentioned a few things about Bill and Eddie knew that she had Stan hooked when she complimented him. Anyone who liked and appreciated Bill got a few points in Stan’s book, Eddie’s as well. By the time they reached the record store, Eddie was nearly laughing at how quickly Beverly had swayed Stan. Then nerves overtook his amusement as she pulled the door open and a loud bell rung over their heads.

“Fuck!” a voice yelled from deep in the store and Eddie’s stomach did a flip. “I forgot to put the goddamn sign up.”

Richie got closer as he spoke, finally peeking his head out from behind a display.

“We’re closed for dinn-”

He cut off, realizing who was there. A grin slowly formed on his face not at the sight of Beverly with his dinner, but rather when his eyes fell on Eddie.

“Now there’s something that looks good enough to eat,” he said, licking his lips.

Eddie’s cheeks grew hot immediately and he almost wanted to turn around and walk back out. This was _not_ the side of Richie that he wanted Stan to see right off the bat.

“Shut up, Richie,” he grumbled, moving further into the shop against his instinct.

Beverly crossed over to him, dropping the paper bag into his hands. The relief on his face was too raw to be faked and Richie’s grateful smile was one hundred percent genuine.

“Thanks Bev,” he said, dropping a kiss to her forehead.

She simply smiled at him, squeezing his arm before walking to the back of the store, hopping up onto the checkout counter as if she belonged there. Eddie had the feeling that Beverly visited Richie at work quite a lot. Richie opened the bag and produced a handful of fries, shoving them all into his mouth much to Eddie’s disgust. Then he realized that this was the first time he’d actually seen Richie eat and kept a comment to himself.

“What brings Eddie Kaspbrak and friend to my domain on this fine day?” Richie asked once he swallowed, gesturing for them to follow him further into the store.

Eddie did just that, sensing more than anything that Stan followed him.

“I was just following Bev,” he said, watching as Richie pulled out the rest of the fries and a burger, laying it out on the glass counter. “Walked in here by mistake.”

Beverly snickered as Richie smirked over at him.

“Puh-lease,” he said, drawing out the word as he leaned casually on the counter. “I bet all she had to do was say my name and you were running your cute little ass on over here. I have that effect on people. Just ask your mom.”

Eddie glared at him, hating how right he was. It made him sound pathetic and that’s the last thing that he wanted. He let the joke about his mom go, turning towards Stan.

“This is my friend,” he said, wanting desperately to change the subject.

“Stan ‘the Man’ Uris,” Richie said after taking a bite of his burger, glancing at Stan. “There’s not a lot I don’t know.”

“Except that it’s disgusting to talk with your mouth full, apparently,” Stan said with a frown.

Richie thankfully swallowed before letting out a laugh.

“I can see why you two are such good friends,” he said, pointing between them.

“Just eat your food, Richie,” Eddie said.

His words were basically ignored as Richie looked Stan up and down.

“What kinda music do you like, Stanley?”

“Why?” Stan said.

Richie didn’t answer, putting down his burger and wiping his hands on his jeans.

“I think I know already,” he said, gesturing for Stan to follow him.

Eddie nodded at his friend to follow him, hoping that Richie wouldn’t say anything too terrible. With a heavy sigh, Stan turned around and did just that. It gave him a spark of hope that maybe it wouldn’t be too hard to reconcile his friendship with Stan, Bill, and Ben with whatever he had going on with Richie. Glancing over at Beverly, he saw her watching him with a small smile.

“You like him,” she said.

Eddie didn’t say anything, avoiding both her words and her eyes as he glanced down at Richie’s half-eaten dinner.

“He doesn’t eat a lot, does he?” he asked.

Beverly didn’t say anything for a long few moments as they heard Richie rambling on about something without giving Stan the chance to respond. Eddie finally looked up at her and saw indecision on her face as well as a little bit of sadness.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “He doesn’t.”

For some reason, her words made Eddie feel sad too. Before he could say anything else, Stan finally piped up from somewhere in the store.

“How do you even know I have a turntable?” he asked.

“You seem like the type,” Richie said simply. “Am I wrong?”

Their voices were getting close and they reappeared soon enough with Stan holding three albums in his hands that Eddie knew for a fact he’d been considering buying for the past few months. How Richie knew that, he had no idea. But Eddie couldn’t help but feel a little bit giddy at the fact that Stan was no longer frowning, at least.

“You want me to pick some out for you too, Red?” Richie asked, his attention falling on Eddie once more. “Don’t want you to feel left out.”

“I want you to eat,” Eddie said, nudging him back towards the food.

Richie picked up his burger without arguing, tearing into it again. It didn’t take him long to eat the whole thing. Stan was busy reading the backs of the albums while Beverly asked Eddie mild questions about school.

“Whatcha doing tomorrow?” Richie asked, cutting into their conversation once he finished his fries.

Eddie glanced over at him, glad to see that he’d finished.

“Nothing, I guess,” he said.

It was Saturday. Most people would be doing at least something with the weekend. Either Eddie met up with his friends or stayed at home doing homework. His life wasn’t terribly exciting.

“Rich, Mike, and I are headed out to the quarry,” Beverly said, taking Richie’s trash to throw it away behind the counter. “You and your friends are welcome to join.”

Eddie glanced to Stan who shrugged without looking up from the record in his hands.

“Sure,” Eddie said, looking back at them as excitement stirred in his chest. “What time?”

Beverly held her hand out and asked for his phone, typing in her contact before sending a text to herself. A moment later, she sent him the details. She barely put her phone back down before Richie was snatching it up.

“What are you doing?” Bev laughed, reaching out for it.

“No way you’re getting Spaghetti’s number and not me,” he said.

“Shouldn’t you ask me for that?” Eddie wondered, not even bothering to say anything about the ridiculous nickname.

“Nope,” Richie said, popping the ‘p’ before handing Beverly back her phone.

He shook his head but didn’t feel too upset that Richie had his number now.

“We should leave you to work, you lazy bum,” Beverly said, hopping off of the counter.

“Yeah, yeah,” Richie said, waving her off with a roll of his eyes.

She pecked him on the cheek as Stan stepped up to pay for the records. Richie announced, as he checked him out, that he was giving him the friends and family discount.

“Is there a friends and family discount, Rich?” Eddie asked, feeling as though he already knew the answer.

“I do what I want,” Richie said with a shrug, winking over at him.

Stan actually thanked him, looking the tiniest bit happy as he took the bag from Richie. He started to walk towards the door with Beverly but Eddie lingered where he was, looking across the counter at Richie, who was leaning forward with his elbows on the glass.

“I’m glad I got to see you,” Eddie said quietly.

A soft look came over Richie’s face, lingering there along with the slightest bit of surprise.

“You’re too cute for words, Eds,” he said, reaching out to brush a thumb over his jaw.

“And yet you never seem to stop talking,” Eddie said with a smile tugging at his lips.

“When it comes to you? Never,” Richie said, shaking his head. “See you later.”

Eddie nodded, taking a step back from the counter. It was the first time he knew for sure when he would see Richie. They had plans, which was something that hadn’t happened until now. He felt good about it and hoped that it was the same for the other boy. With one last wave, Eddie turned to walk out with the other two. Once they said goodbye to Bev, who hugged Eddie and gave Stan a fist-bump, they were left standing alone on the sidewalk. Eddie looked warily at Stan, knowing that he would probably have something to say.

“I see it,” his friend said after a moment, glancing around before looking at Eddie. “I’m not sure I get it yet, but I see it.”

Eddie couldn’t help but smile, relieved that Stan at least knew. It felt good, not to be holding everything so close to his chest.

“I think there might some theories that the Earth will collide with the sun, eventually,” Stan said as they started walking down the street.

It was impossible not to figure out what he was trying to say.

“Maybe they’re right,” Eddie said.

Maybe they were.

* * *

It was later that same night, as Eddie did homework by the lamplight on his desk so that he wouldn’t have to worry about it next day, that he heard the strange noise at his window. It was a small clink, followed by a louder one. Then another and another, all getting louder. Standing up, he made his way over to the window only to watch as what looked like a small rock struck the glass.

“What the-” he said, pulling his blinds up.

Eddie unlatched the window, pushing it open. As he leaned out and peered down into the dark yard, realization struck him at the sight of a familiar face standing there with a battered-looking skateboard on the grass beside him.

“Richie?” he said quietly.

“Damn,” Richie said, dropping his hands dramatically. “I was aiming for your mom’s window.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Eddie hissed.

“I’m coming up.”

“No you are not,” he said, shaking his head.

“Watch me.”

“Don’t you fucking dare. I’ll come downstairs.”

Eddie pushed the window closed, running a hand through his hair as he stood in silence for a few moments. It was after eleven and he knew that his mom was asleep. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t terrified of her waking up. Creeping out into the hallway, he listened for a second but only heard her muffled snores from the end of the hall. Walking as silently as he could down the stairs, he unlocked the door and opened it only to see Richie standing there with a grin, a black beanie covering his hair with a few curls escaping and his leather jacket open over a band t-shirt that Eddie didn’t recognize. His cheeks were red from the cold.

“What’s wrong with you?” he said through gritted teeth, reaching out to yank Richie into the house.

“I have another, much better question,” Richie said, keeping his voice hushed for once. “Why the fuck haven’t I seen those shorts before?”

Eddie glowered at him, remembering that he was wearing an old pair of shorts that he never put on outside of his room. They were short and red and something he never ever wanted Richie Tozier to see him in.

“Is there something you want?” Eddie demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Richie held a finger over his lips and pointed to the stairs. With a heavy sigh, Eddie led him up. Somehow he just knew that Richie’s eyes were fixed on his ass and yet couldn’t bring himself to say anything about it. Once they were shut away in his room, he sat on his bed and considered pulling a blanket over his lap. It was odd, seeing Richie in his room, looking at his neat belongings with more interest than Eddie expected.

“Fucking hell,” Richie said, shaking his head once he spotted a picture of Eddie as a toddler sitting on his dresser. “You’ve always been this adorable, huh?”

Eddie didn’t say anything, watching him as he worried at his lower lip with his teeth.

“Why are you here, Rich?” he asked.

Richie’s eyes snapped to his and there was a small smile on his lips.

“You called me that earlier,” he said, walking over to sit beside Eddie.

The sudden proximity made Eddie’s skin grow just a little bit warmer.

“Bev calls you that.”

Richie shrugged and tugged his beanie off before falling back to lie down on Eddie’s bed. Eddie turned to watch him, resisting the urge to reach out and brush a hand through the dark curls now spread out on his pillow.

“I made a promise,” Richie finally said, staring at the ceiling.

“A promise?” Eddie repeated, feeling confused.

Those dark eyes flickered to him and Richie nodded.

“Rain check,” he reminded him.

Eddie remembered the conversation and sat up straighter.

“Okay,” he said, his heart beating quicker.

Richie looked somewhat amused by his reaction before it faded away.

“You asked me why,” he said, reaching out to take Eddie’s hand.

Feeling breathless, Eddie watched as Richie began playing with his fingers as if he needed the distraction. Maybe he just didn’t want to look in Eddie’s eyes while he talked.

“You’re… good,” Richie said, his voice quieter than it had ever been.

Eddie didn’t really know what to say to that.

“Different,” Richie added on, looking over at him briefly. “You’re different.”

“Different from who?” Eddie asked, feeling confused.

“Me.”

He sudden realized that, in saying that, Richie was saying that he himself was not good. That didn’t sit well with Eddie. He had always been protective of the people that he had in his life but Eddie felt particularly defensive when it came to Richie. He opened his mouth to say something but Richie sat up suddenly, dropping his hand. It felt cold without the touch.

“I can’t stop coming back to you,” Richie said, shaking his head as he stared into Eddie’s eyes. “I can’t figure out why. It’s like there’s a pull and you… you’re this magnet, or… or…”

“The sun,” Eddie whispered.

Richie’s eyes widened a little bit behind his glasses and he nodded.

“And I should really try harder to stay away because you’re good and I’m-” he cut himself off, his eyes searching Eddie’s face. “I’m probably gonna grow up to be a piece of shit like my dad or... like my mom. But I just can’t shake you, Red.”

He looked confused and a little bit alarmed but there was some of the want in his eyes that Eddie knew all too well.

"I think you're good," Eddie said, scooting a little closer. "For what it's worth."

Richie blinked at him as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. Then his hand lifted and he was stroking Eddie’s cheek in that familiar way. Eddie couldn’t resist leaning into the touch, opening his mouth to say something about how he felt drawn to Richie too, or something poetic like that.

“I’m gay,” is what came out instead.

Eddie wanted to bury himself underneath the covers on his bed and never come out. Richie stared at him for a long moment before grinning.

“I really know how to turn ‘em, huh?” he said, laughter in his voice.

Annoyance and amusement rose in his chest in equal measure and Eddie reached out, smacking Richie’s stomach. A barking laugh escaped from Richie’s mouth and Eddie was quick to pounce on him, nearly straddling his lap as he clapped his hands over Richie’s lips. They both remained still, listening for any sounds in the house.

“Not because of you, dipshit,” Eddie finally whispered, glowering at Richie. “I just am.”

There was a smile in Richie’s eyes and Eddie saw intent there that made him feel wary. Then Richie full on _licked_ his hand and Eddie yelped aloud, nearly falling off of Richie and the bed as he ripped his hands away. Richie’s arm caught him around the waist as he laughed quieter this time, yet with far more hysteria than before.

“Eddie?”

Dread filled Eddie’s chest and he resisted the urge to start hitting Richie everywhere he could find. Turning his head, he tried to sound as normal as possible as he answered.

“I’m fine, Ma!” he called out. “Just stubbed my toe.”

“Need me to look at it?”

“No!” Eddie said quickly.

A second passed, then another as they both held their breaths.

“You need to go to bed. You don’t get enough sleep.”

“Yes Ma.”

They didn’t dare move an inch, waiting until the house fell silent again. Then Richie’s hand slipped just beneath Eddie’s t-shirt and his thumb swept over his hip. Eddie’s breath hitched in his throat and he turned back towards Richie, ready to unleash a very quiet lecture about how he was disgusting for licking his hand and how he had to be quieter. But none of the words made it to his lips because suddenly Richie was kissing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please please let me know what you think!
> 
> tumblr - reddieforlove


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie wondered if this is what it was like to burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY TITLE CHANGE: This fic used to be called "Red" and now I've changed it to "I'm on fire (like a thousand suns)." The title is from the song "Hunger" by Ross Copperman.
> 
> I'm so sorry that it took this long to update. I hope to update it soon. There's just going to be a few more chapters in this part of the story but I think I'm going to write a sequel.

There was a time when Eddie thought that he understood Richie. Before the record store. Before detention. Before a one-worded note. Before running from Bowers and before crouching in an alley. Eddie thought he understood Richie, even though he hadn’t spoken to him much at all. He was an outcast. He was loud. He was crass. He was disruptive. He was rough. Eddie saw him the way the rest of the world did. He thought that he understood him because of it.

Eddie was ashamed now of how little credit he gave Richie then.

He was all of that but he was so much more. There was a depth to him that most people didn’t see. To Eddie, he was like a puzzle. And each interaction added another component to the thousand pieces that were Richie Tozier. Though Eddie was afraid that he would never get the complete picture, that didn’t mean that he was going to stop trying. So he filed things away, one at a time.

Richie was a shameless flirt. Richie was a smoker. Richie doled out nicknames like it was his job. Richie did imitations, some terrible and some really good. Richie danced like he didn’t give a shit whether anyone was watching. Richie touched like he was starved for it. Richie smiled openly but kept his emotions close to his chest. Richie talked a lot but rarely gave anything away.

Richie kissed like the entire world faded away, leaving nothing but the two of them.

It had nothing to do with the depth of the kiss. On the surface, it was a simple brush of lips. Almost tentative. Eddie was still half-perched on his lap. Richie’s arm was still around his waist but his other hand cupped the back of his head gently. Eddie clutched at his shoulders, his heart racing in his chest as Richie pulled away just a bit before kissing him again, just as hesitantly. It was as if he was afraid that Eddie would push him away any second.

He kissed like he had everything to lose but he was still willing to take the risk.

Eddie pulled away, feeling the overwhelming need to look into Richie’s eyes. He didn’t know what he hoped to find there. Richie blinked slowly, licking at his lips and meeting Eddie’s gaze after a moment. There was something distant in his eyes, like he was already closing himself off for rejection. He’d already convinced himself, in just a few seconds, that Eddie didn’t like it.

So Eddie did the only thing that he could think of, lifting his hand to brush his fingers over Richie’s freckled cheek. Then he leaned in with a fluttery feeling in his stomach, pressing an equally timid kiss to his lips. It was quick and Richie’s sharp intake of breath made him pull away, wondering if it wasn’t what Richie wanted after all. But he was staring back at Eddie with an awestruck look on his face.

“Fuck.”

Eddie wasn’t sure what he expected to hear but that wasn’t it.

“What?” he asked warily.

“I’m not gonna be able to think about anything else now,” Richie said, his eyes darting over Eddie’s face before settling on his lips.

Eddie’s cheeks warmed and he shuddered when Richie’s thumb grazed over his hip.

“Richie,” he murmured, twisting his hand into Richie’s shirt.

“Yeah Red?”

“Kiss me again.”

Richie complied, leaning in to slant his mouth over Eddie’s. They kissed just as softly, just as tentatively. Richie stroked his thumb over Eddie’s jaw over and over again. The world faded away. Nothing else existed. Nothing else mattered. Nothing could stop them. Nothing stood between them. They could just hold one another and kiss again and again. Slowly. Gently. Endlessly.

The world faded away.

There was just the two of them.

And it was perfect.

*****

Eddie woke to sunlight streaming through his window. He never closed the curtains. He could hear his mother moving around downstairs, probably making breakfast. He blinked sleepily and rubbed at his eyes, smelling the strangest remnants of smoke and familiar cologne on his pillow. That was when he remembered. Eddie sat up with a sharp inhale, looking around the room. It almost felt like a dream. He remembered letting Richie in through the door and leading him upstairs but it was harder to remember him leaving. They’d kissed and kissed until exhaustion seeped deep into his bones and made his movements grow more languid.

_ “You gonna fall asleep on me, Eds?”  _

_ Richie laughed as Eddie tucked his face into his shoulder, his fingers warm even through Eddie’s shirt as he stroked up and down his spine. When he shifted and tried to slip out from beneath him, Eddie made a noise of protest. _

_ “Don’t have to leave,” he mumbled. _

_ “Sorry Red,” Richie said, stroking his hair. “I think my carriage is about to turn back into a pumpkin.” _

_ It was Eddie’s turn to laugh as he slowly climbed off of Richie’s lap. _

_ “You know that makes you Cinderella, right?” he said, grabbing Richie’s beanie to hand him. _

_ “Well I am pretty as a princess, doncha think?” Richie said, fluttering his eyelashes at Eddie as he tugged the hat over his curls. _

_ Eddie let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. _

_ “You’re a lot of things, Rich,” he said. _

_ “You got that right, baby,” Richie said, leaning over to press a smacking kiss to Eddie’s forehead. _

_ Then he was crossing the room to the window. _

_ “What are you doing?” Eddie said, his eyes widening. _

_ “Leaving you to your beauty sleep,” Richie said, sliding the window up. _

_ “The front door,” he hissed. _

_ Richie turned to look at him. _

_ “Your mom might still be lurking in the hall,” he said, waving a hand in the direction of Eddie’s door. “I’d usually be glad to fall into her waiting arms but I think I’ve swapped enough spit with a Kaspbrak tonight.” _

_ Eddie glowered at him, knowing that Richie just couldn’t help himself. _

_ “We didn’t even swap spit, dipshit,” he said. _

_ “Give it time,” Richie said, winking at him. _

_ Then he was climbing out the window, lifting one leg over the sill as Eddie pushed off of his bed and hurried over. _

_ “You’re gonna kill yourself,” he said, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. _

_ “Good point,” Richie said, pausing for a moment before turning to look at him again. “Make sure they put it on my tombstone, yeah? Here lies Richard Tozier, the boy who died in the noblest pursuit of Eddie Kaspbrak’s bangin’ bod.” _

_ Eddie smacked his arm with a scowl. _

_ “Do you ever shut up?” _

_ “Just when you kiss me,” Richie said, puckering up his lips dramatically. _

_ With a heavy sigh, Eddie shook his head and gave him a quick kiss, his cheeks filling with color. _

_ “If you break your leg, I’m not kissing it better,” Eddie warned him. _

_ “Keep lying to yourself,” Richie said, almost looking giddy. _

_ Then he was climbing the rest of the way out the window, walking precariously closer to the edge of the roof. He glanced around before moving to the left. He disappeared from sight as Eddie’s heart skipped a beat. Then he heard the rustling of a tree, a low “oof,” and a soft thud. Eddie hurried to the window, looking down in time to see Richie brush his hands on his pants and glance up to give him a two-fingered salute. _

_ Then he was grabbing his skateboard from the grass, waiting until he was on the street to lay it down on the pavement to ride it away. Eddie stayed there with his hands braced on the sill, watching until Richie disappeared from sight. Only then did he slide the window closed with a smile, knowing that he would remember every single second of the night. _

Eddie blinked out of his memory when he heard his mom call him down for breakfast. He couldn’t help the smile that took over his face when he shoved his blankets away and stood, stretching his arms over his head. It wasn’t a dream. All of it had been real. And he was going to see Richie again in a matter of hours, along with the rest of his friends. It was going to be a good day. He was sure of it.

*****

Eddie rode to the quarry in the back of Bill’s car. Stan had shotgun, like always. It was just unspoken. Ben sat next to him, eyeing his bouncing leg with a curious gaze.

“You okay, Eddie?” he asked as they cruised through town on their way to the outskirts.

“Mm-hm,” he said with a nod.

Stan glanced over his shoulder, giving Eddie a look.

“Yeah, sure,” he said skeptically.

Eddie sank his teeth into his lower lip, averting his gaze. They were almost to the quarry. A journey that used to take nearly an hour on their bikes was only about ten to fifteen minutes in the car. One of many reasons to be grateful that they were no longer in middle school. As Bill pulled off, Eddie spotted Mike’s truck parked at the turnoff. He saw Richie first, as if his eyes were drawn to him instinctively.

He was sitting on the open tailgate of the truck, his long legs swinging as he passed a cigarette back and forth with Beverly, who was leaning against the truck next to him. Mike was a few paces away, laughing at something Richie was describing with waving hands and a bright look on his face. Their heads all turned when Bill pulled up next to the truck and Eddie’s heart felt like it was in his throat as he forced himself to look away. He had no idea what to expect.

“You coming?” Ben asked as Stan and Bill already pushed the doors open.

Eddie nodded, unbuckling his seatbelt slowly. He heard Beverly greet Stan and Bill brightly and lifted his head in time to see Ben’s cheeks grow a little pink at the sound of her voice.

“She’s nice,” Eddie said, grateful to have something that would take his mind off Richie for just a minute. “And not nearly as intimidating as you think she is. Just talk to her like she’s any of us.”

Ben nodded, still looking nervous.

“I’ll probably say something embarrassing,” he said, sounding serious.

“Oh don’t worry,” Eddie said, a smile tugging at his lips. “Nothing you say will come close to half the bullshit Richie spews out. If you do say something embarrassing, it’ll be forgotten as soon as Richie makes a joke about sleeping with my mom.”

Ben’s eyebrows rose.

“Your mom?” he said.

Eddie nodded, realizing that it sounded odd to his friend’s ears.

“He thinks they’re funny,” he said with a roll of his eyes, opening his door. “I’m still trying to convince him otherwise.”

With that, Eddie stood up and realized that he’d successfully managed to distract himself from his own nerves by talking Ben through his. But now he was faced with Richie, who was still sitting on the tailgate with his eyes fixed right on Eddie. His eyes were even darker than usual behind his glasses, somehow. He leapt off of the truck with less grace than he probably intended and Eddie bit back a smile when he slapped Stan on the shoulder buoyantly.

“How’s the music treating you, Staniel?” he said.

“It’s fine,” Stan said with a shrug.

Eddie knew his curly-haired friend well enough to know that “fine” was as much of a compliment as anyone was going to get out of him right now. He’d practically called Richie a music genius in his own words. Richie looked satisfied, grinning at him before stepping around the small gathered group to approach Eddie and Ben, who had stepped up next to him with his wide eyes fixed on Beverly.

“Hey,” Mike said, turning towards them before Richie could get there.

He bumped shoulders with Eddie before introducing himself to Ben. Everyone was sufficiently distracted by one another when Richie finally reached him.

“Hey Red,” he said, his eyes soft.

“Cinderella,” Eddie deadpanned, earning a loud laugh that drew everyone’s attention.

He couldn’t quite hide his satisfied smile, like getting Richie to laugh was some sort of feat. It wasn’t, not really. But it still made Eddie duck his head and smile.

“Shall we?” Richie said, gesturing dramatically towards the path that would lead them to the quarry.

Everyone started walking, conversation picking up naturally as Eddie and Richie settled at the back. Eddie kept his hands in his pockets, part of him afraid that he’d jump at every brush of their hands if he left them fall to his sides. Not that he didn’t want to hold hands with Richie, if that’s where it would lead. He was just afraid that Richie wouldn’t want to hold hands with him. Eddie had no idea how to act around him after last night.

As much as he wanted to throw all caution to the wind and kiss Richie right here and now, careless of who saw, he didn’t know if that was the right thing to do. They should have talked about it. Eddie should have planned it all out. Now all he could do was panic because there were more questions than answers and it was hard to breathe when he could feel Richie’s burning gaze on the side of his face.

“Hey,” Richie said softly, likely noticing his tense state.

Eddie took a shaky breath, his chest feeling just a little bit too tight. He hadn’t brought his inhaler. It had been a while since he had to use it. This didn’t happen much anymore. Especially not around Richie. Eddie coughed a little, wheezing as he nearly tripped over a divot in the path.

“Eds,” Richie caught his wrist and Eddie’s eyes finally flew up to meet that dark gaze behind those thick glasses.

They both stopped in the middle of the path, staring at one another. Eddie didn’t know why it was easier to breathe now that he was looking into Richie’s eyes. The warm touch of Richie’s fingers to his wrist helped too. Eddie stepped closer, letting that same smell from his pillow wash over him. He didn’t know when his heart started to beat so quickly but it slowed now.

“It’s weird,” he said quietly, before Richie could ask him. “Like worlds colliding.”

He didn’t have to look to the others, still walking ahead of them, for Richie to understand.

“They don’t know,” Richie said.

Eddie knew what he was saying without having to ask.

“They suspect,” he said, knowing that his friends had to at least have an inkling as to his sexuality. “But we’ve never talked about it.”

It was the same reason they never talked about the unresolved tension between Stan and Bill or the obvious crush that Ben had been nursing on Beverly for a while.

“I’m following your lead here, Red,” Richie told him.

Eddie swallowed hard and opened his mouth to speak but Bev called out to them teasingly, calling them to speed their slow asses up with laughter in her voice. Richie’s eyes crinkled with amusement and Eddie could see the retort rising to his lips.

“I really want to kiss you again,” he said quietly before Richie could call back to her.

Richie stared at him, looking almost comical with his lips slightly parted for a few long moments. Then his fingers moved from Eddie’s wrist, pressing lightly over his palm before lifting his hand up. Those same lips brushed over Eddie’s knuckles.

“Just tell me when,” Richie said, winking at him before tugging him forward to walk again.

He didn’t drop Eddie’s hand, weaving their fingers together as they strolled casually along the path. Eddie’s cheeks warmed and it felt like every inch of him that Richie touched was alight. As they caught up with the group, Eddie wondered if this is what it was like to burn.

*****

It had been a long time since Eddie came to the quarry. It became a lot less interesting when middle school gave way to high school and their interest turned to other amusements. Still, he remembered hot summer days and jumping from the cliff into cool, glittering water that soothed their heated bodies. Eddie peered over the edge of that cliff now, knowing that the cold water would be anything but soothing in the middle of October. He could almost hear the sound of splashing water and laughter in the distance, a small smile tugging at his lips as the others talked behind him. Then a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind.

“Let’s jump in the water, Eds,” Richie whispered, his lips caressing Eddie’s ear.

He shivered a little and it felt nice until he realized what Richie said.

“No,” Eddie said loudly as Richie leaned forward. “Richie no!”

Richie jerked them forward, nearly knocking them right over the cliff as Eddie let out a breathless scream. Then those arms were dragging him back into a firm chest as real laughter filled his ears. Eddie turned in Richie’s embrace, smacking at his arm again and again with his own shouts of anger filling the air. The others laughed too as Richie pressed a smacking kiss to Eddie’s cheek and declared loudly that he would never let his spaghetti fall.

Eddie was still grumbling when they collapsed into a shaded, grassy area in a badly formed circle. Stan sat on a boulder, deeming it less dirty than the grass once Bill spread a blanket he brought from his car over the rock. Ben sat to Stan’s left, taking up as little space as he could with his legs folded and his hands in his lap. Beverly sat next to him, much to Eddie’s amusement, choosing the opposite of stances with her legs outstretched and her hands braced behind her as she tilted her head up towards the sun.

Bill had his back up against the the same boulder on which Stan sat, giving Mike his entire attention as he described what it was like working on his family’s farm. With anyone else, the topic might have been boring. But even Eddie found himself listening as he sat with his back against the tree that shaded them all from the bright sun. Even though it was colder there, it felt nice. He barely got settled before Richie’s head was in his lap as he splayed out over the grass, his long limbs taking up more space than anyone.

“Don’t mind me,” Eddie said with a roll of his eyes, doing his best to look annoyed even though his heart skipped a beat.

“Oh baby, trust me,” Richie said, grinning up at him. “I never do.”

Eddie scoffed, flicking at his ear.

“Dick,” he muttered.

“That’s me,” Richie said, wiggling around to get comfortable before turning his head to look at the others as Beverly delved into a story about her and Richie nearly setting the football field on fire while skipping school one day.

Eddie stroked a hand through Richie’s hair, finding it soothing to feel the soft strands run through his his fingers. He watched the others and jumped into the conversation where necessary as he continued playing with Richie’s hair. He caught Stan’s eye a few times and flushed at the knowing look in his friend’s eye. Eddie knew that he probably suspected more than either Bill or Ben but those two looked as though they were starting to catch on too as they snuck glances towards Eddie and Richie. A long time passed before the conversation paused long enough for anyone else to look at them.

“He’s like a cat,” Beverly said at one point.

Her eyes were fixed directly on Richie and Eddie was starting to understand just how blunt she could be. It was something that took getting used to but it was refreshing in a way.

“Explain,” Mike said with a smirk, as though he already knew.

“He breaks things a lot,” Beverly said, holding up one finger before adding another as she spoke again. “He darts around and yells about stuff that no one has any chance of understanding, and he can fall asleep anywhere.”

Eddie realized that Richie hadn’t retorted yet and glanced down only to see that Beverly had a point. His eyes were closed and his lips slightly parted as he slept. The dark circles beneath his eyes were more pronounced now that Eddie was focused on them. They seemed like such a part of Richie that he never really noticed them anymore. It made Eddie feel guilty. He wanted to ask if he ever actually slept at night, knowing that Bev or MIke would have the answer, but it wasn’t the right time.

“Did anyone bring food?” he asked, glancing up at the rest of them.

“Mike did,” Bev said, giving Eddie a look.

She knew exactly why he was asking. If there was anything Richie needed more than sleep, it was food.

“Just some sandwiches and fresh fruit from the farm,” Mike said with a shrug.

“S-sounds good to me,” Bill said, smiling at him.

There was the vaguest hint of interest in his eyes and Eddie might have been worried about Stan if the curly-haired boy wasn’t alternating between Mike and Bill with the funniest look of want and confusion in his eyes. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was something that all three of the boys were experiencing. That was definitely something interesting that Eddie wouldn’t be forgetting about.

“I brought some soda from my house,” Stan said.

“We can go get it all,” Mike offered.

“I’ll help,” Bill said.

Stan stood up, offering a hand out to Bill to help him stand before doing the same to Mike. Eddie watched it all with a slight smile that didn’t go unnoticed by Stan, who raised one eyebrow in his direction and looked purposefully at Richie before turning away to walk with the other two back up the path. As their footsteps faded away, Eddie glanced over to see Ben clearly trying to muster up the courage to initiate a conversation with Beverly.

“We built a dam at the Barrens when we were kids,” Eddie said, taking the lead for his friend. “Got in trouble with old Officer Nell for blocking up the river but it was fun.”

“Yeah?” Beverly said, smiling slightly as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “You never told me you were a little rebel, Eddie.”

He rolled his eyes dramatically.

“It was Bill’s idea,” he said.

“Of course it was.”

Beverly laughed a little and Eddie could just see Ben’s responding sigh.

“Ben was the real brains behind it, though. He can build anything.”

Bev’s eyes flitted to Ben, who simply blushed in response.

“It wasn’t that great,” he mumbled with a shrug.

“He’s a liar. It was pretty great. He’s got this thing about architecture. It makes sense to him,” Eddie said.

Beverly perked up a little in interest, still looking at Ben.

“Tell me about it,” she said.

He looked at her in surprise.

“Wh-what?” Ben said.

“I don’t really know anything about architecture. Is that what you wanna do?” she asked.

Ben nodded slowly in response, unable to tear his gaze away from her.

“So talk to me about it,” Bev encouraged him, shifting closer.

Eddie couldn’t help but smile as Ben did just that, growing more and more relaxed as he began talking about one of his biggest passions. He looked down at Richie, so comfortable and, most importantly, so quiet with his head in Eddie’s lap. He pulled his hand out of Richie’s hair and pulled his glasses from his face, laying them gently on the grass beside him. Then he stroked his thumb over Richie’s cheek, just barely enough to graze the soft skin there. Richie looked different like this. Younger and more vulnerable. Eddie couldn’t help but remember their conversation from the night before.

_ You’re good. _

_ You’re different. _

_ From who? _

_ Me. _

It bothered Eddie, even now. He didn’t know much about Richie. Only what the other boy let him see. But there were moments when Eddie could see his heart. Even when Richie wasn’t aware of it. Especially when he wasn’t aware. There was no doubt in his mind that Richie was good. Eddie knew for damn sure that Bev and Mike would back him up on that. So would the others, once they got to know him. It was just a matter of making Richie see it. Eddie didn’t know how to go about that. 

He didn’t know how long he sat there, stroking Richie’s cheek and contemplating him. But soon enough he heard voices and footsteps and raised his eyes to see Bill, Stan, and Mike coming back with arms full of food and drinks.

Eddie knew that he should wake Richie up. He felt bad, not wanting to deprive him of sleep if he already got so little. But he needed to eat too. It frustrated Eddie, not knowing why he was deprived of those two most basic needs. He wanted to know more. He wished that he had the confidence to ask Richie but Eddie was terrified of being turned away. Of Richie resenting the questions and leaving him in the dust to find someone who wouldn’t be quite so nosy. So he simply took Richie’s shoulder and shook him lightly, saying his name quietly.

“There’s food, Rich,” Eddie told him as he stirred a little.

Richie mumbled something unintelligible before cracking one eye open slowly.

“Aren’t you supposed to give me a kiss to wake me up, Prince Spaghetti?” he questioned, his voice a little scratchy.

Eddie tried and failed not to smile.

“Now you’re Sleeping Beauty, huh?” he asked.

“Whatever works for you,” Richie said with a shrug without sitting up.

“I want you to eat,” Eddie said, running his thumb over Richie’s jaw. “I’ll trade you a kiss for it.”

Richie was up in an instant, knocking Eddie’s hand away.

“Tis a fair compromise, good sir,” he said in his outlandish British guy voice.

Eddie shook his head at Richie’s antics, vaguely aware of the others already dividing up food in the background as he pressed both hands to Richie’s cheeks.

“You’re ridiculous,” he informed him.

“I’ve been called worse,” Richie said with a shrug.

Instead of answering, Eddie leaned in with a rapidly beating heart and pressed a kiss to Richie’s lips. Now he was far more of the others as the conversation and movement lulled. But it was all worth it for the warm, soft press of Richie’s lips to his. It felt just as intoxicating, just as breathtaking, just as consuming. He could have kissed Richie all day long without caring who watched. But Eddie eventually pulled away and saw traces of awe in Richie’s gaze when he opened his eyes.

“They know now,” Richie said quietly.

“It’s okay,” Eddie whispered.

And it really was. Mike came over and dropped three sandwiches, an apple, and a lone bag of chips into Richie’s lap. Then he handed a sandwich and an apple over to Eddie.

“I know he’ll eat everything in sight,” he said, tilting his head to Richie. “Let me know if you want more.”

“Thanks Mike,” Eddie said, smiling up at him.

Then Stan tossed them both a can of Coke, meeting Eddie’s eyes. He simply nodded once and Eddie’s heart felt even fuller than before. Neither Bill nor Ben looked fazed in the slightest. Nothing changed, as far as he could tell. Conversation picked back up and soon enough, everyone was laughing and trading stories and anecdotes as they all ate. Richie devoured the three sandwiches and the apple before reclining with his head on Eddie’s lap once more as he crunched his way through the chips, offering one up to Eddie every once in a while that he took straight from Richie’s fingers. It didn’t seem odd. It was natural. Like this was exactly as it should be.

“You good, Red?” Richie asked.

Eddie nodded, realizing that he’d gone quiet while he ran his fingers through Richie’s hair.

“Why do you call him that?’ Ben asked curiously.

“My red jacket,” Eddie answered for Richie. “I was wearing it the day we met.”

“He looked cute as a button, just like Little Red Riding Hood,” Richie said teasingly.

Eddie shook his head, smacking Richie’s hand away when he tried to pinch his cheek. It was hard to believe how far they’d come from that alley. He wouldn’t have traded it for anything. Not when it felt perfect like this. Eddie didn’t doubt that the other shoe would drop at some point. Things never aligned this perfectly. Not in his experience, at least. He just hoped when it did, he and Richie would get through it. Because he had no intention of going back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I would love to hear what you think!


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